Altered Paths
by Twisted Trickster
Summary: What happens if Annabeth betrays Percy for Luke and Kronos? What if Percy is sent to Tartarus and tortured for three years due to a mistake of the gods? He gains the blessing of the Primordials themselves and unwillingly becomes the guardian of the hunt. (AU) Pertemis. Rated M for graphic scenes.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is my first ever story so I'm a little nervous, honestly I've rewritten this whole thing about 3 times now but now I'm finally happy on a start for my story. Any feedback and reviews will be welcomed, good or bad it all helps. Anyway, enough listening to me ramble on nervously, enjoy the story! I do not own any of the PJO characters, they belong to Ol' Rick.**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Third Persons POV**

Deep in the Void, the Primordial council was gathered. The throne room was made of the same material as the rest of the Void; a mixture of black marble, obsidian and nebula metal – a curious compound formed from the residual dust after a new star is formed – and a shimmering black material. The ceiling, however, was the most astounding feature. Or rather, the lack of ceiling. The throne room was built on a large platform drifting through the Void with a collection of galaxies drifting across the the deep purple sky, as if the galaxies themselves were trapped within bubbles, allowing the residents of the void to simply observe all that is happening.

In the centre of the room stood 14 brightly glowing thrones. The thrones of the Primordials. There was Ourea, the Primordial of mountains, her skin was a soft brown with deep brown eyes. Written at the base of her throne was the word 'Unmovable'. The throne itself was shaped like mountainous terrain, with their mistress sat proudly upon it.

To her right was Pontus, the Primordial of the sea. He was an extraordinarily tall man with a bronze tan and eyes the colour of the bluest ocean. The throne was made out of moving seawater with 'Untameable' froze across the bottom.

Next was Ananke, the Primordial of inevitability, compulsion and necessity, the mother of the fates. She had long, straight black hair with royal purple eyes. Her throne was perhaps the simplest yet the most elegant. A mixture of black marble with rich purple seating and ancient carvings that only Ananke herself could understand. Like the others, a word was carved at the base: 'Inevitable'.

Seated comfortably at the side of his wife on his hourglass-shaped throne was her husband, Chronos, the Primordial of time. He had short white hair which wildly contrasted with his youthful face and golden eyes. Inside the throne, golden sand trickled slowly down, eventually flowing into the word 'Eternal'.

Next, we have Hemera, the Primordial of the day. Similar to her sister's, her throne was made of marble which seemed to glow from the inside, shining with a brilliant light with a carving of the sun on the headrest. As usual, 'Ethereal' was carved into her seat of power. Hemera herself had tanned skin with flowing golden hair, her eyes were a light grey, almost white, blending in with the whites of her eyes but most interesting about the Primordial was the aura that surrounded her. It was a warm, comforting glow that spread out across her, the kind of glow that children crave. A motherly glow, similar to that of her grandniece, Hestia.

Her husband, Aether, was sat next to her on a very similar throne. Aether was the Primordial of light. However, unlike his wife, the light that shone out of him was a bright, harsh light causing all the others (save for Hemera) to squint at the very least. In the cases of Erebus and Nyx, they had to look away entirely, seeming thoroughly offended by the harsh light. Aether sat regally on his glowing throne with the word 'Radiance' shining and spiralling around the base of his throne. He had startling blonde hair, almost as white as Chronos' with pure white eyes.

In the centre of the room sat Chaos, the mother of the Primordials and creator of the universe. She had flawless, pale skin and features Aphrodite herself dreamed of having. With long black framing eyes that swirled with the cosmos. Her throne was as if someone had caused a part of space to turn solid and freeze, with moving stars, comets and even some planets floating across its surface. However, Chaos wasn't the monarch, she didn't believe in it nor did she want it. After all, they were family.

On her right sat Erebus, her oldest child and the Primordial of darkness. Everything about the deity screamed 'dark'; he had pitch black hair with black eyes that seemed to suck in the light around him. His throne was a mass of flailing shadows while he sat comfortably on his seat of power with 'Obscurity' floating in front of the throne.

The next Primordial was Nyx, Primordial of night and husband of Erebus. Very similar to her partner, she had dark hair and eyes except her eyes also seemed to faintly twinkle with stars. Aside from this and the fact that she was a female, she was almost identical to the Primordial of darkness. The throne was made of black marble, yet decorated with the night sky, accompanied with the moon and numerous constellations. The word 'Encroaching' was written across the moon.

The next throne was odd. It was made entirely of wind and clouds with a scarred man 'sat' atop it. This was Ouranos, the Primordial of the sky. He had sky-blue eyes with tanned skin that was criss-crossed with numerous scars, painful reminders of his son's betrayal. 'Untouchable' was ironically floating in the wind/throne.

Next was the eldest daughter of Chaos. Gaia, the Primordial of the earth. She had soft brown sin with bright, forest green eyes. Her throne was, unsurprisingly, made of rock and earth with 'Invincible' written above her head.

Lounging lazily next to her was Eros, the Primordial of love. Eros was, essentially, a more attractive, male version of Aphrodite; with chiselled muscle and perfectly tanned skin. His hair was a soft brown and his eyes were a vibrant red. His throne resembled a monarch's throne, a golden seat with deep red trim and seating. It had 'Unexpected' written on the headrest.

The final throne in the room belonged to Tartarus, the Primordial of the pit and punishment. The Primordial was a very intimidating immortal. He was the tallest being in the room and his entire aura screamed 'Danger!'. He had black hair that was tied up in a short ponytail revealing his terrifying eyes. They were a mixture of blood red and pitch black and staring into them could make any mortal being (and some immortals) have a one-way ticket straight into the realm of madness. His throne was made from Stygian Iron and had glowing veins running through it. Written on the ground in front of the throne was 'Judgement'.

The most powerful beings in the universe were all gathered in a single room and needless to say the power flowing from them was palpable. However, the man stood in the centre of the room didn't flinch. He was only young, around 19 years of age yet his eyes spoke a different story. They were a plain grey, as if the original colour was drained away but they showed agony, anger and sadness. Both his face and his stature was stoic, neither hunched yet not stood confidently. Simply standing.

The young man had raven black hair with multiple streaks of grey running throughout, almost half of his hair had been bleached giving it a swirling affect. His skin had once been tanned but had dulled due to the lack of sunlight. He had thick, stygian iron chains connected to his wrists that wrapped up his arms up to the elbow. He was wearing simple grey bottoms, leaving his chest bare. An alarming number of horrendous scars littered his muscular body.

Chaos looked at the child in front of her sadly. No man, no less one as young as this, should have gone through the atrocities this one had. He stood as if he simply didn't care any more. He probably doesn't; he had been tortured for 3 whole years in the worst place imaginable – and to make it even worse, it was his own family who sent him there in the first place!

The thought of the gods' stupidity made her anger spike and everyone in the room felt it. The very building blocks of the universe trembled under their creator's rage but she managed to rein in her emotions before another galaxy exploded. Wasn't fun last time that happened.

This young man was Perseus 'Percy' Jackson, former son of Poseidon.

 **Percy POV**

Why do I always end up in a throne room? The last place I saw before my sunny vacation in Tartarus was a throne room and the first place I see when I come out is another freaking throne room! I flinched as the images flooded my mind. I fought against it but was pulled into the memory...

 _(Olympian Throne room, minutes after the defeat of Kronos)_

 _I stood panting, watching as Annabeth ran to support the unconscious son of Hermes. Luke had passed out immediately after Kronos had been forced from his body. Who knew using Kronos' scythe would separate the two souls? I turned and walked over to where the scythe had been thrown when the Titan of Time had been forced out, nothing more than a ghostly apparition that dispersed with a final screech into nothingness._

 _I knew I should be happy, this was a win. We had beaten Kronos, saved Olympus, the Olympians had beaten Typhon thanks to my dad and to top it all off, we even managed to save Luke. However I knew the costs._

 _So many dead. Campers. Nature spirits. Friends and family. My heart was aching in my chest at how much we had lost. I'd seen so many friends die but pushed aside my grief knowing that the time for mourning would come later and now I know that time was almost here._

 _The quiet groans of Luke waking up made me turn back around to look at the pair, the scythe now in my hands after I picked it up from the cool marble floor. Luke's eyes fluttered open, bright blue once again, and finally focused on the daughter of Athena sat next to him with tears of joy running down her face._

 _Wasting no more time, Annabeth leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips while at the same time, my heart finally broke. I hung my head low, unable to watch the girl I love kiss the man who betrayed all of us. I thought that after the war, Annabeth and I would be together, I knew I loved her and I was beginning to think that she felt the same about me. Apparently I thought wrong._

 _Suddenly, the doors to the throne room burst open and the Olympians poured into the room, most looking worst for wear but nevertheless ready to fight. Zeus, being the paranoid piece of shit that he is, fired at the figure who stood carrying the weapon of the Titan Lord: Me. I crumpled to the ground writhing in pain, unable to scream due to the huge amounts of lightning coursing through my body. Invulnerable or not, a direct blast of the master bolt hurts like Hades. I barely heard my father roar in outrage before my vision went black and I surrendered to unconsciousness._

 _When I came around, I was laid in front of the newly repaired thrones with the Olympians sitting on them, glaring directly at me. I looked confusedly at my godly family – why were they looking at me like that? I looked to my father for support only to see he refused to meet my eye, instead settling for glaring into his lap, his knuckles turning white from gripping his trident so tightly. Finally, someone spoke. And it just HAD to be Zeus._

" _So... You're finally awake." He thundered. 'Yeah' I thought, 'No thanks to you'. "Demigod, you have been accused of treason. How do you plead?" My jaw hit the marble floor. I just won them a war! Quickly finding my voice, I frantically spoke._

" _What!? I just defeated Kronos! I even saved Luke in the process! Not guilty!" At this they glared even harder. Artemis shot out of her throne and shrank down to mortal size before slapping me across with the face with a resounding_ _ **crack**_ _that echoed around the otherwise silent throne room._

" _How DARE you! Both eye witnesses have already told us the truth and yet you still lie to our faces! We are GODS you insolent boy! You think you can lie to us?" The goddess of the moon spat viciously. I stared in shock, a red hand print already forming on the left side of my face. Artemis had always treated me fairly after I saved her from under the sky. Well, as good as a man-hating goddess can treat a male. When Artemis furiously stalked back to her throne, a terrifying scowl on her face, Athena spoke._

" _Perseus Jackson, Son of Poseidon, this council has witnessed an act of your betrayal and one of the eye witnesses has sworn on the river Styx that you fought against him in the final battle." She had a cold fury dancing in her gleaming, grey eyes. "The majority of the council have found you guilty of High Treason and of deceiving your gods. The punishment for such heinous crimes is an eternity in Tartarus." It took me a few moments to register what had been said. When it had, I spun on my heels and ran for the exit. With godly speed, the exit was blocked by Ares, Artemis and Demeter. I fervently began to look around for something to help when I noticed that Hestia was looking sadly at me with fiery tears running down her childlike face. I also saw Hermes and surprisingly Hades looking outraged at the other gods, my father still refusing to look at me but I could see tears dripping off his face. Apollo was still recovering from his injuries from Typhon and missing entirely._

 _Finally, Poseidon stood and looked at me. He approached my crouching figure slowly, causing me to relax slightly and begin to stand. He carefully laid a hand over my heart before speaking. "I, Poseidon, god of the seas, hereby disown Perseus Jackson as my son." He paused before continuing in a quieter voice. "How could you do this to us Percy? What would your mother say? I'm so ashamed of you." When he had finished he immediately turned away, unable to look at the heartbroken expression on my face, even as the sea green in my eyes lost their lustre and drained away, leaving an empty grey colour, devoid of everything._

 _Zeus looked around one last time as Poseidon marched back to his throne with his head hung low. Ignoring the looks of disgust and protest from Hestia, Hades and Hermes, he fired his master bolt in front of me, opening a dark crack. Instantly, I felt the pull and knew then that I was going to Tartarus. There was no avoiding it now so, with my head held high, I calmly walked into oblivion, sending one final, burning glare at the gods that had betrayed me._

 _Falling._

 _I fell for what felt like days before I finally saw a dim red glow. I felt a little comforted knowing that I would likely be splattered against the landscape rather than having to suffer in this hell-hole. Then, to my absolute horror, my descent began to slow. Not enough for me to land safely but just enough so I would survive. I felt my bones break upon impact and I immediately fell unconscious again._

 _When I woke, I was greeted with the sight of a tall, scarred man with shoulder length black hair. He noticed I was awake and looked at me. I groggily lifted my head, trying to recognise who he was when I met cold, golden eyes._

" _Hello again Grandson" Kronos said cheerfully. "Fancy meeting you in a place like this. I think it's time I teach you to respect your elders..." He pulled out a wickedly sharp bronze knife from behind his back and slammed it into my thigh. I screamed and tried to cradle my injured leg only to find my arms chained to the wall with Stygian Iron chains that felt almost as horrible as the injury. "Looks like you're staying with your Grandpa for a while." He said with malicious glee. "But don't you worry. I'm sure we'll find a way to entertain ourselves..."_

 _(End of Flashback)_

I tore myself from the memory shivering and noticed that some of the Primordials had left, while the remaining beings stared at me sadly. A quick head count told me that Ourea, Gaia, Ouranos and Aether had left. Chaos seemed to understand what I was thinking and explained.

"You may have noticed that some of us have left while you were...preoccupied. I'm afraid that they have a disliking for you and do not approve of my son, Tartarus, recovering you from his domain." I didn't say a word, merely nodded. I was used to supremely powerful people hating me. I think it's a talent.

"Why did you save me?" My voice was horse, after 3 years of nothing but screaming I wasn't surprised. "Why save me? What have I done that demanded the creator's attention?" Chaos was about to respond but Tartarus beat her to it.

"My domain is made to be the ultimate punishment for the evil and the damned. You, young demigod, are neither." He had a deep, rumbling voice that resonated through the room but it was surprisingly kind. He must have noticed my shock because he then continued. "I know what you are thinking. I know what most people think of me. They assume that, because of my domain, I am evil. Why would I be evil when I punish the monsters that are sent there? When I work to contain as many of the world's evils as possible? No, young Perseus, I am not evil." he rumbled before a small smile appeared on his face.

This only confused me further. If he wasn't evil, and I was in his domain and he knew I didn't belong there, why did he leave me to the mercy of the titans? Chaos quickly interrupted my dangerous train of thought. "He tried Perseus," she hurriedly explained. "He, like most of us, only awoke from our millennia of slumber recently and was too weak to detect you with so many titans working to hide you from sight. It was only when they made their mistake was he able to find you."

I winced as the memories once again flooded my mind and swept me back to hours previous, to when Kronos introduced a new level of torture.

 _(Percy's cell, a few hours ago)_

 _I was slouched forward, only from the chains was I still upright. My wounds had finished healing from the day previous so I knew they would be back soon. This had become their routine: Torture me until they get bored, leave and wait for me to recover, come back for another round. Rinse and repeat. Occasionally, they detached the chains from the wall and dragged me to the arena where I would fight for the monsters' amusement. No weapons. All I ever had were my chains and hands, both of which I had become very skilled at fighting with._

 _Today seemed like it was going to be another session rather than a rumble in the arena. A large fist collided with the side of my head, snapping me from my pondering. I looked up and saw the usual group. There was Kronos, Hyperion, Krios and Perses._

 _They each had their own favourite style of hurting me. Kronos usually went for the typical 'cut-em-up' tactic while Hyperion enjoyed played with fire. By playing, I mean setting me on fire and listening to me scream. Fun times. Krios usually tried to find new ways, either through mental torture, electrocution and drowning – my personal favourite. Long gone were my powers over water and now I was just like any other mortal. Finally, Perses would use his powers of destruction to send tremors through my body, shattering my skeleton and organs piece by piece only to let Kronos reverse the damage so it can be done again. The fact that they were all here together was not good; their last group session together had been a particularly brutal one._

" _Wake up maggot!" Hyperion screamed in my face. I sent a weak glare at him only to have Perses send minor tremors through my arms, dislocating both of them. I released a small grunt but nothing more. This was one of the minor injuries – I was used to much, much worse._

" _Tut tut Perseus, we'll have none of that now" Kronos chided me like he would a naughty child. "After all, we brought you a gift! Would you like to know what it is?" Kronos revealed a vial filled with glowing yellow liquid._

" _Poison again? Running out of ideas Gramps?" I smirked, only for it to disappear as another fist connected with my chest, breaking several ribs. Kronos continued as if nothing had happened._

" _This is a very special treat Grandson. Very special. This little liquid is the same thing that was used to turn Lycaon into what he is now. You have met him, haven't you?" I didn't reply but the truth was he was actually a common visitor of mine, always turning up and raking his claws down my body. I didn't really like that mutt._

 _I froze as I realised what he meant and Kronos knew it. "Ah...not so confident now, are we? Yes this is the thing that turned him into a werewolf. The_ _ **first**_ _werewolf. It's extracted from the heart of the pit itself! It was very difficult to get my hands on this, so I hope you appreciate it." I tiredly tugged at my chains as much as I could with my dislocated arms, causing the wounds around my wrist to reopen and crimson to ooze down my scarred arms. Kronos slowly approached, like he had all the time in the world and thoroughly enjoying watching me squirm. Although, being the Titan of Time, he probably did. Without another word, he forced my lips apart with a swift punch to the gut and poured the liquid down my throat as I gasped._

 _Instantly, I felt it course through my system, invading every fibre of my being and it burned. Gods did it burn. My very soul was on fire. A hoarse scream erupted from my shredded lips but then the pain ceased and my body felt different; stronger, more powerful. I even noticed that most of my wounds healed, being replaced with white scars. All my senses seemed enhanced. It felt incredible._

 _And I hated it._

 _Suddenly, the ground around the titans grew spikes and black flames sprouted at their feet. They all started to scream and try to move away but every time they did, more flames appeared to block them until they dissolved into golden dust. I watched in awe as some of the most powerful beings I had ever met all died in an instant. I heard someone laughing madly. I felt confused; was there another demigod down here with me? The laugh was clearly human but danced slightly on insanity. I finally realised that the person laughing was me and it instantly cut out. I just watched 4 people die painfully and laughed the entire time and that honestly, terrified me._

 _Once again, the ground began to shift, this time directly in front of me. It bubbled before a tall man rose from the ground wearing Stygian Iron armour. He seemed to evaluate the room, a look of disgust on his face before turning his attention to myself. I felt the raw power pulsing from this being and I began to glare at the man. He hesitated slightly at the anger that radiated off of me before raising his hand in an odd gesture, like he was swatting a fly, and the chains suddenly detached from the wall._

 _Still cautious, I wrapped the chains up my arm, ignoring the cold burning of the metal as I was long since used to it. This way, the chains did not restrict my movement too badly. Looking at the man, I saw what was like a large tear in the air, as if something had ripped through the world to reveal a large room with huge beings sat on thrones. I tentatively reached out my hand and felt a slight resistance, like a gust of wind brushing against my hand with slight static electricity dancing across my skin. Taking a deep breath, I walked through the door way._

 _(End of Flashback)_

A frown instantly appeared on my face when I realised I had yet another flashback. I really hope this isn't going to be a common experience. "Perseus!" Anake snapped me back to attention. "If you would like, I can try fix your memories. I won't be able to stop them completely but I will make it so they don't happen at every possible moment. It would be most inconvenient if you were incapacitated in the middle of a fight."

Once again I frowned. "What do you mean, 'fight'?" I asked warily.

"We need you Perseus. The gods need you." Nyx answered calmly. I began to tremble violently at the thought of my betrayers. I just escaped from the hell they condemned me to and now I'm told I should help them? I felt the tell-tale signs of another flashback before a purple flash surrounded me and it stopped. I sent a grateful nod to Ananke who accepted it with a small smile. "You should calm yourself Perseus. We are not forcing you to forgive them, though we advise that you do in time. We simply wish to tell you that they are in danger and, if you would allow us, to help you prepare for the oncoming war." I realised yet another war meant more casualties. My thoughts drifted to Thalia, Nico, all the people who never abandoned me.

"Who is the threat?" I asked wearily. The entire throne room tensed and I knew this was a sore subject. I was shocked to see tears roll down Hemera's face.

"I'm afraid it is some of us. Gaia is trying to rise and this time Ourea and Ouranos are supporting her. Earlier today, A-Aether decided to jo-join them." her voice broke at the mention of the Primordial of Light. My heart swelled with pity towards her; her husband had betrayed her and abandoned their family. I made my decision.

"I'll help" I said rubbing my face tiredly. "But it's not like I'm going to be much help. How am I meant to fight against one of you? Never mind 4 of you! I'm only one demigod! Technically I don't even have a godly parent..." I said bitterly. The Primordials however, didn't appear distraught by my pessimistic thoughts.

"We will help you." Chaos told me with a comforting smile. "We are willing to bestow upon you our blessings to assist you. We may be unable to return to the world to fight them ourselves but that doesn't mean we can't help." My jaw hit the ground. Here were the most powerful beings in the universe and they were willing to bless me!

"Th-thank you my lady!" I stuttered. Chaos smile disappeared immediately to be replaced with a scowl.

"Don't call me 'lady', Perseus. It makes me feel old. It's just Chaos my dear."

"Then it's just Percy. I hate Perseus." I replied with a scowl mirroring her own.

"Shall we proceed?" Pontus asked calmly. Chaos nodded and raised her hand.

"My gift to you is the ability to manipulate the Void itself." I frowned in confusion and Chaos went on the explain. "This place where we are currently is the Void but the Void is everywhere, it is the very base of the universe. By allowing you to manipulate it, you will be able to punch through reality and call forth the Void to create certain constructs, such as weapons and armour, but also create walls and shields of energy. You will also be able to create tears in reality, like the one you came through earlier, to allow you to transport yourself anywhere." There was a faint buzzing in my head, which I was pretty certain was my brain starting to overheat as I tried to wrap my mind around the sheer enormity of the gift I was just given. Eventually I just gave up and smiled widely at Chaos, my face hurting from using muscles I hadn't used in years.

"Wow wow wowowow WOW!" was all I could say but luckily Chaos heard my mental thanks and nodded her head while laughing. She raised her hand and blasted me with black and purple energy that wrapped me into a cocoon of power as it soaked into my skin. Power like nothing I'd ever felt before rushed under my skin and suddenly I could feel it all around me, in everything, like an underlying layer to the world I had never been aware of until now and I guess that is the Void.

Eros interrupted my basking in my new power by rising casually from his throne and speaking in a clear, masculine voice. "Yo Perce, I give you the ability to hear other's thoughts, otherwise known as telepathy. You may also communicate by sending your own thoughts to them as well. I understand that you will not be as trusting after your recent experiences so hopefully this will change that. This way, you'll be able to know if someone's intentions are as they say." As he finished, a warm red beam shot from his outstretched hand and hit me into the chest, again wrapping around me and soaking in. When it had faded, the beings in the room gasped when they saw me. I looked confusedly at Eros. "I forgot to mention, there is one side affect to receiving my blessing." He said with a shrug. He waved his hand and a mirror appeared in front of me. What I saw shocked me. I was looking at a tall man, around 6"4, with black hair with multiple streaks of startling white mixed in. I realised I was looking at myself. My face was more angular and defined, my whole body was much more muscular, without an inch of fat anywhere, while at the same time not being too bulky. Some of the harsh scars that littered my body had faded to very faint white scratches that were barely visible but most of them were still just as large and as painful to look at as ever. Constant reminders of my time in Tartarus. I smiled at Eros to show my thanks.

"Are we going to keep admiring the boy all day or can we continue?" Nyx asked impatiently.

Chronos let out a hearty laugh. "Sister, you need to learn to take things easy. Learn to relax, we have plenty of time."

"That's easy for you to say." Erebus muttered.

"Nyx is right." Chaos cut in. "We need to continue with the ceremony. And Chronos, just because you can view time as whatever speed you wish doesn't mean the rest of the people here can." She scolded her son.

Chronos sighed at his mother. He's as old as the universe and still gets told off by his mum. Some things never change. "Alright Perseus. I, Chronos, blah blah blah let's just do this." A golden light shot from the hourglass on the top of his staff and once again struck me in the chest. "With my blessing, you are able to manipulate time as you see fit but remember that the strain is quite extensive for large scale usage. You are also able to rewind time around an injury to make it fade but it will eventually return. Just use this if your injury is slowing you down too much at the time. Should keep you alive." Chronos seemed smug, he knew exactly how good his blessing was and he didn't need me telling him so I simply nodded my head in thanks, feeling slightly overwhelmed at it all.

Next Nyx stood. "Percy, as the Primordial of Night, I have certain control over the other parts connected to my domain, including the moon. I know you do not want to hear this but you are, for all intended purposes, a monster. If you were to die, you would dissolve just as monsters do and return to Tartarus. You haven't felt it yet but under the moonlight, you will most likely lose control of your werewolf form. Therefore, I shall grant you full control of your werewolf abilities at all times, which will also revert your status of monster back to as you were. I also grant you the power to put any creature to sleep. I understand how you feel about your current state but with my help, this may prove to be more of a blessing than a curse." A black light enveloped me once again before leaving me feeling fully energised, leading me to believe it was currently night time on Earth as there was no time in the Void (other than the white-haired man sat on his hourglass throne).

Hemera rose after her sister. "I apologise Percy, but there isn't much I can gift you as my domain and my husband's are so closely interlinked there is little I could gift you without him turning it against you. Therefore I give you power of healing, although it was drain you heavily to use. I know its not much..." Hemera seemed shy, as if expecting me to scoff at her gift.

"Thank you, Lady Hemera for your generous gift. I know this is difficult for you and I'm sorry you're in such a difficult situation." I said sincerely to the now stunned Primordial. She broke out of her rapture and a small smile grew on her face. A brilliant white light burst from her open palm and was absorbed into my body.

As if planned, Erebus and Pontus both shot up at lightning speed and fired their power at me, sending me flying back and hitting a pillar by the sheer force of it. Black and blue light glowed around me before settling.

"BOYS! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!? THAT MUCH POWER AT ONCE COULD HAVE KILLED HIM THERE IS A REASON WE HAVE BEEN GOING ONE AT A TIME!" Chaos was screaming at her now cowering sons while the whole room shook. Erebus was hidden behind Nyx, shaking quietly while Pontus had dissolved into a puddle of water that was quivering with every word.

"We-we just wanted to see if he could take all of it, he would have to if he was going to face our siblings in battle...plus it was taking too long..." Erebus said weakly while the now fully reformed Pontus nodded his head furiously.

Chaos sighed and the room stopped shaking. "You're both idiots. Shadow manipulation and water manipulation I'm guessing?" she asked tiredly.

Pontus nodded. "You can also turn into water like I just did or even steam if you need to. Don't forget that the human body is around 70% water." He said with a wink.

I extracted myself from the hole in the pillar I had made when struck by the energy, sending a weak glare at the two Primordials before semi-grudgingly thanking them. On one hand, 2 really cool blessings, including the return of my water powers. On the other hand, almost died _again_ and now my back aches like a bitch. It's been an emotional day and its not quite over yet.

"You're a strong one" Ananke said amused. "I'm sure my daughters would love to continue toying with you as they have been but you have a hard enough road ahead of you without them meddling. My gift to you is power over your own fate. You will be untouchable to the fates and anyone in your life will also be out of their grasp. You will be the only person outside of this council who is not controlled by fate. A life of your own design, something the gods can't even claim to have. I also protect your mind from any and all forms of influence." I was shocked and touched by this. Finally, I would be free from the fates. For years, they have toyed with my life, treating me as nothing more than a puppet. Now I was out of their reach. I bowed deeply to Ananke, unable to express my thanks and she just smiled softly and I again glowed the same purple as earlier before it faded.

The final Primordial left was Tartarus and I was honestly a little nervous. A blessing from the Primordial of Punishment was not something most would want to receive. "Perseus, I grant you full control of Stygian Iron, so you are immune to the effects of your chains. You will also be able to summon Stygian Iron and control it, such as the length of your chains. I also grant you control of Hellfire, something that is capable of causing all, especially immortals, immense pain if they ever come into contact with it. I trust you to use it wisely. My final gift to you, is the ability to restrain others in Cursed Rock. You may choose to inflict pain through these rocks if that is what you want." Tartarus said seriously. When he finished speaking, a blast of black and red energy was fired and absorbed into me and immediately, I could no longer feel the draining effects of my chains and it felt amazing. I was used to the feeling but once it was gone it was very noticeable and felt like a huge weight was lifted off me. Concentrating on the thick chains that were wrapped around my arms, they faded away to leave the matching tattoos of my black chains wrapping all the way up my arms, ending just at the elbow.

I felt amazing. I felt like I had so much power at my fingerprints I was about to explode. It was exhilarating and I wanted to start practising with everything straight away. I looked over at the mirror Eros had summoned and was shocked when I saw my eyes. They were rolling pits of power that glowed brightly while at the same time seemed to suck in all the light in the room. Pure black with explosions of red, blue, gold, purple, white and what could only be described as blood red. The whites of my eyes were gone leaving only this swirling colours of power. As cool as it is, I don't think I'll be seen in the mortal world with these eyes.

"You can change them to normal if you would like to," Chaos said after reading the expression on my face, no longer being able to read my mind thanks to Ananke's blessing. "Simply relax and focus on your eyes dimming in power."

I tried it and all the colour of my eyes suddenly condensed so it was just around the iris. The same swirling mixtures of colours, just a bit more small scale. I smiled in thanks at Chaos, feeling more than a little overwhelmed by the day's events.

"Also, you have been made mostly immortal to strengthen your body, otherwise our power would have turned you to ash." Nyx informed me. "By mostly immortal, I mean you can only die in battle and even then, it'll take quite a lot to kill you. The amount of power you currently hold puts you ahead of any Titan or Olympian, including the elder gods. However, they are still not to be underestimated as they have had much longer in learning to control their power than you have."

All the Primordials gathered around the room stared at me with pride in their eyes and I couldn't help but feel my chest swell. These people cared for me enough to save me and then gift me with enough power to make me basically a god. My heart sank as I remembered what had been said earlier.

"I won't see any of you after this will I?" I asked dejectedly.

"No child, we can not return to the world, none of us are strong enough and our blessing of you has drained most of the power what we had. Some of us may still be able to speak to you through your mind if you allow us to but we can not return." Chaos told me sadly.

'Finally finding people who care for me and I won't ever see them again.' I thought bitterly. 'Just my luck. And I've got to go help those traitorous gods who made my life hell, even long before I was thrown into Tartarus.' The thought of it made my blood boil and caused my new aura to flare around me, as if reality itself was warping under my anger.

"You will have to learn to control your emotions Percy, or else you'll end up blowing up the world you're going to be trying to save." Eros said coolly.

"I wish there was more we could do to help, but once you leave this room you'll be beyond our help. The first thing I suggest you do is gain some powerful friends." Tartarus spoke. "Do favours for some gods, gain their trust and their support so that your reintegration back into Olympus is as smooth as possible. The Olympians are already aware of the truth but it was too late to retrieve you as you were already being hidden by the titans, Apollo informed them all of the truth as soon as he was recovered from his injuries. The son of Hermes fled immediately, even we are not sure where he is, no doubt he is under the protection of Gaia after the fall of her son."

"And to think, those idiots held a trial without the god of truth present." Erebus muttered darkly.

Rolling his eyes, Tartarus carried on. "Even though they are aware of your innocence, they may not know how to react to your return, as they are probably aware that if you were to return you would hold quite a lot of resentment towards them for their treatment of you."

"Damn right I do..." I growled. "Some of them are in some deep shit if I have to deal with them again..."

"That's not all Perseus." Pontus said. "The daughter of Athena, she was influenced by Castellan from the moment that they kissed. Although the kiss was her decision, everything that she did after that until the retreat of the son of Hermes was completely out of her control and she was distraught when she realised what she had done."

'So Annabeth didn't really betray me?' I began to wonder. 'No, she may have not betrayed me like I thought she had but she still kissed Luke. Anything that we may have had ended then.'

A sudden shake through the throne broke me out of me pondering. Glancing around worriedly, Chaos said quickly, "It is time for you to leave now my dear, even though you have your new powers over the Void, it still does not welcome anyone other than Primordials."

Nodding, I turned around while Chaos waved her hand and a Void tear appeared in the air, showing a woodland forest just as the sun was rising. I stepped towards the portal before looking over my shoulder. "Thank you all so much for everything you have done for me...I don't know how I can ever hope to repay you all." I told the Primordials sincerely.

"Win us this war Perseus. And send our family back to us." Hemera replied clearly, unshed golden tears in her eyes.

With a steely look of determination on my face, I nodded one final time before stepping through the portal, back into the real world.

 **And finished! Sorry if some of the parts in this chapter seemed a little rushed, especially the blessings part I just wanted to get through it all while still giving a bit of flesh to the Primordials as characters, even though some of them may not be returning for a while. Hopefully now we can get onto the good stuff!**

 **If you're thinking Percy is already too OP with his newfangled powers just wait, I'm not planning on giving him complete mastery over them straight away, they'll be things he'll have to learn and practice with to get to the "tearing through several Olympians at once" stage that I know a lot of authors rush to which I admit is cool but to me doesn't feel right for my story.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you stick around to follow this story to see if it flourishes into something beautiful or crashes and burns (hopefully its the former). Please give any feedback to let me know what you think and give me any ideas you think would be cool to have included in the story, I've got several ideas already but any input helps. Peace out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Percy POV**

Stepping out of the portal into the fresh air and sunshine, I couldn't help but stop and breath it all in, enjoying the sun's warmth on my face, something that I hadn't felt in 3 years. I barely noticed the tear behind me seal with a soft _whump_ , shutting me off from the Void and my new patrons.

The air was clear and crisp, slightly cool against bare chest. Looks like I'll have to fix that soon, I don't know if the world has changed much in the past 3 years I've been away but I'm pretty sure I would still get weird looks if a heavily scarred, half naked man was just walking around.

 **'Use the Void, Percy'** the sudden voice in my head made me jump and panic, causing my powers to flare outwards, a wave of shadows erupting from my chest and slicing outwards.

Glancing at the trees around me I had accidentally just cut in half, I tried to tentatively respond. **"Chaos, is that you?"** I asked the familiar sounding voice inside my mind. **"And did you just parody Star Wars?"** Unknowingly to me, while using my new telepathy from Eros, the warm red colour in my eyes had erupted to form a dimly glowing crimson ring around the pupil of my eyes.

 **'Yes dear, it's me. I'm one of the few who is strong enough to contact you while in the regular world. I won't be able to do it often but I'll try to offer as much advise as I possibly can.'** Came the beautiful, clear voice of the Creator. **'Focus on the Void around your body, then collect your energy and grab it and drag it in towards you. The entire time, be imagining new clothes forming around your body.'**

'If this works, this will be so cool.' I thought excitedly, while still a little nervous at the first time using my creation powers. A warm feeling spread through my chest as my energy started to gather, forming a ball in my stomach as the feeling began to spread through the rest of my body, stretching to my fingertips. Finally, I stretched out with my senses, feeling the Void directly against my skin. Imagining a simple black t-shirt and pair of jeans, I released my power and my eyes began to swirl rapidly, a mixture of purple and black and suddenly black and purple shimmered around me, finally becoming solid and replacing my old, torn up trousers.

Feeling immensely proud of myself, I looked down to admire my new outfit, that _I had created myself_ , only to stutter as I saw myself in a bright pink t-shirt with jeans that looked and felt far too tight on me, though they were still wearable.

" **What the Hades is this!?"** I asked the Creator in my mind, still feeling her presence in the corners on my head. Laughter filled my head before she replied.

 **'Not bad for your first attempt, although you didn't concentrate hard enough on what you wanted to create. I was half expecting you to be stood there like a fool for the next hour, still trying to grab the Void.'** Chaos chuckled.

I felt mildly annoyed that I had failed to create a simple t-shirt and jeans properly but then I thought about how I had just created clothes, from _nothing_! Suddenly I felt very proud of my top that seemed far too pink and uncomfortable bottoms. 'They might not be perfect, but they're mine.' I thought proudly.

Feeling her presence slipping away from my mind, Chaos again spoke. **'Time for me to leave now Percy, holding this communication from the Void is very tiring in my current state. Now that you know the basics on how to manipulate the Void, begin to practice. And try not to cut anyone in half like you did with these poor trees, hmm?'** Her voice gradually got quieter as she spoke, retreating from my mind before the connection broke completely. With the end of the telepathic conversation, the crimson ring around my pupils faded, retreating back into their usual mixture of colour.

I was very excited now. Looking around at the decimated forest around me, most of the trees had been sheared completely in half thanks to the wave of shadow that I had released. 'I'll have to get a hold of that before I go to anywhere too populated.' I thought grimly, imagining what would happen if I had been somewhere with people when this happened.

Thanks to my blessing from Chronos, I knew it was exactly 7:39am but I still had no idea where I was. I started walking, putting distance between myself and the area I had destroyed. 'Hope not many people come to this forest.' I thought, trying to think of how they would describe a ring of trees being cut cleanly in half in the middle of nowhere.

I approached a clearing in the woods and I could sense a large body of water nearby. Although all my powers were still technically new, the powers from Pontus felt very similar to the ones I always had while a demigod only much more potent. Stepping towards the lake, the water seemed to dance as I got closer, as if it recognised the touch of the Primordial of water. Ripples appeared on the water, moving towards me. Looking at the water, I couldn't help but feel calmed and relaxed. Just because Poseidon had disowned me, doesn't mean being around water couldn't help clear my mind.

I flinched as I felt memories flash in my mind.

 _Krios holding my head underwater_

 _Trying to breath as it filled my lungs, my chest aching_

 _Struggling against the titan, limbs flailing, the cold burn of the chains around my wrist_

A purple haze in my head cleared me out, the blessing Ananke had given me kicking in. Okay, so maybe I wasn't totally relaxed around water like I used to be. Now, I had experiences with it that made me fully understand why someone would be afraid of the stuff.

Looking up at the blue sky above the trees, I began to think about how helpful it would be if I was above the trees, able to see what's around me. Next thing I knew, a bright azure ring glowed around my pupils and the water from the lake shot towards me, wrapping around my lower half and lifting me above the trees, being carried by a huge pillar of water. **(AN: Think how the Ocean grabs Moana in the Disney film if you've seen it.)**

Once my shock wore off at how easily I had reached for my powers and the new height I found myself at, I looked around at my surroundings and realised I knew where I was. I was stood in the woods surrounding Mount Saint Helens, recognising the mountain in the distance that I accidentally blew up a few years ago. Now that I knew where I was, I commanded the water to lower me to the floor and it respond faithfully, gently placing me back onto the hard ground before returning to its original place in the lake, the blue ring in my eyes fading as I released my hold on my power. A few years ago, an act like that would have drained me, leaving me feeling fairly tired but now I didn't feel anything, barely a drop in my power.

Looking across the water with my sharp eyesight, I saw a small cave in the side of the cliff. Deciding that's where I'll make my temporary home for now, I began to walk around the lake, thinking about all my new power.

'So what is it I have then,' I mused to myself. 'I can manipulate the Void, very cool but I need to work on that; Read minds thanks to Eros although I don't know to what extent, I'll have to find a nearby town to practice on the residents. I can control water again and this time I can also control shadows, I'd like to see Nico try shadow travel away from me now. I can heal people, thanks to Hemera – such a nice lady, I feel awful for her having her husband walk away from their family like that. Gods know I can relate to having family abandon you...' I stepped over a fallen log that was beginning to rot, crawling with all sorts of insects and bugs. 'Let's see what else...Stygian Iron control, Hellfire and "Cursed Rock" control, not sure what that is but I'm sure I'll figure it out. Time manipulation from Chronos, damn that's powerful. Control over my wolf side, thanks to Nyx.'

Even now, I could feel it inside of me: a primal, animalistic side of me that was wanting to be released. The wolf inside of me yearned to be free, especially in a woodland like this. The scent of the forest filling me, making my muscles quiver with excitement at the great outdoors, wanting to run and be free. Should I try it? There was no one else around to be hurt if I, for some reason, lost control. Coming to the decision of testing my new form, I focused on the wolf inside of me being restrained and set it free.

Tremors raced through my skeleton as it began to shift and bend, changing shape so drastically it forced me forwards, falling onto my hands which quickly morphed into giant paws. Fur sprouted around my body, my spine extending and producing a large tail. Finally, the transformation stopped, only taking around 3 seconds but felt like much longer to me.

All my senses were heightened even further, my already amazing eye sight and hearing became even sharper, being able to detect the wildlife around me. My strong sense of smell being filled with the forest. The feeling of the forest floor under my paws felt oddly comforting, as black claws shot out of my paws and dug into the dirt happily. I padded over and looked at my reflection in the lake.

Looking back at me was a tall, proud black wolf with a swirling mixture of colours in it's eyes. I had white tips on my eyes and white paws, with streaks of white rushing through my silky black coat. My tail flicked, seemingly having a mind of it's own but if I concentrate then I can control it, otherwise it seems to just do as it wishes. The bushy tail was white on the top, blending in to a grey and then the usual black near the base of the tail. With a shock I realised I had actually grown taller while as a wolf, standing at around 7", I was truly a force to be reckoned with. 'I wonder, can I use my other powers as well while in this form?'

Curious, I reached out to the water and saw for the first time, the blue ring around my pupils form as the water lifted up, snaking through the air forming different shapes. Although I could still control it, it felt more difficult as a wolf than a human. Fully satisfied with my experiment, I released the water and carried on walking around the lake, towards my soon-to-be-home, this time in the form of a giant black and white wolf.

Again I stopped, cursing. Walking around the lake is going to take me at least another hour. However, if I was to walk across it...

I carefully stepped out onto the water, my powers kicking in, causing the water beneath my paws to become solid. Not ice, just a sturdy surface for me to walk across. Happy with my new-found skill, I set off bounding across the large lake, kicking up water behind me as I ran. Running on all fours felt weird but at the same time, felt perfectly natural. Deciding to test out how fast I can go, I kick it up a gear and began to really begin sprinting, I was nothing more than a black and white blur racing across the water. It was exhilarating to run at such high speeds, the cave coming closer and closer until I finally leaped from the lake and landed in front of the opening. I considered changing back into my normal form but decided against it.

Being a wolf was fun.

Trotting carefully into the cave, I noticed that I could see everything clearly, just like how I used to be able to see underwater while still a son of Poseidon. I guess this much be part of Erebus' blessing. The cave was fairly large, around 25 feet deep and 14 feet high. A good size for a temporary home.

Stepping back outside, I figured it was time to start practising with my new abilities. A shudder ran through my body as the painless transformation back into my human body. As much as I enjoyed being a wolf, I knew that training would be easier in my normal form. I raised my hand and cast my energy out towards the darkness of the cave and the shade under the trees. Pulling my hand towards my chest, shadows flew towards me, flowing like water and stopped, hovering above me. The ring of shadows that now surrounded me danced and quivered, moving erratically but with a little more concentration I managed to stabilise it. By moving my hands, I could control the shadows like a conductor would his choir. The shadows responded to my every movement, turning sharp when I commanded them and changing back to their liquid state when I told them to.

I grinned before releasing them, shadows dissipating in the air. This was going to be fun.

 **-(LINE BREAK)-**

 **(3 weeks later)**

I had been living in my cave next to Mount Saint Helens for 3 weeks now and I spent the time trying to hone my new powers. They were still far from flawless but at least now I could at least use them without losing control. Surprisingly, there had been no monster attacks yet, as if his scent that had previously attracted the monsters was now mostly diminished. It must have been from when Poseidon disowned me, technically now I wasn't the son of a god anymore, while still being a demigod. The son of None. My new aura probably also helped to keep monsters away from me.

I could now control my shadow powers almost as good as my water powers, which just seemed to come naturally, giving me excellent control over water, being able to control it in any state, ice, liquid or even steam. Using my shadow powers, I could even shadow travel and while it still tired me out slightly, I could still do it several times in quick succession before reaching my limit. I'm sure Nico was exaggerating on how exhausting it was.

I was stood still in a circle of trees, enjoying the feeling of the breeze through my hair and watching the golden brown leaves falling around me. I had mostly gotten the hang of creating clothes from the Void and was stood in a simple blue t-shirt and jeans that, thankfully, actually fitted.

Breathing in deeply, I called upon my power and let it out slowly in a bubble around me. A bright golden light appeared around my pupils and the breeze stopped. Leaves hung suspended in mid air, caught within the bubble of time I had created. The strain of holding time was already taking its toll on me but I carried on, holding it for as long as possible. After a few more minutes I had to release, sweat pouring down my face as I fell to one knee. As draining as it was using my time powers, I knew I was getting better the more I used it.

After a few minutes rest, I stood up and held out my hands, palms facing the sky. Pushing power through my hands, red and black flames erupted, the faint sounds of screaming coming from the fire. Hellfire wasn't hard to create, on the contrary, it was far too easy. Difficult to control and extremely dangerous, using Hellfire was always a risk. The 3 times that I had practised with it, I had nearly burnt down the forest every time until I managed to regain control, leaving behind charred scars on the forest. I concentrate on keeping the blackfire contained to my hands, already feeling it trying to slip out of my grasp and run rampant through the forest until nothing remained apart from smoke and ash. Realising I was close to losing it again, I quickly dispersed the Hellfire, causing the screaming to cease.

With one final plan in mind before returning to my cave, I drew upon my powers from Chaos and forced my hand through the air, splitting reality and punching into the Void. To anyone else, all they would have seen was my arm disappearing into nothingness up to the elbow, a deep purple glow surrounding the arm. Focusing on the image in my mind, I slowly withdrew my arm, pulling with it a staff with a large, deadly black blade attached to each end of the staff. The blades were elegant, facing in opposite directions to each other. Each blade was around 15 inches long, while the staff itself was about 6 feet.

The weapon was beautiful and deadly, a double ended glaive given to me as a gift from Chaos. She had told me the metal was a mixture of Nebula metal and Stygian Iron, a powerful combination that made the weapon unbreakable. The staff was made from obsidian with streaks of Nebula metal to reinforce the handle. A luxurious black leather was wrapped around the middle, providing a comfortable place to grip. It could be used one-handed or two-handed, one-handed for more quick slashes and strikes while two-handed was for powerful attacks.

It was a weapon unlike any I had seen before, I didn't know anyone who used something like this. It was an elegant, dangerous weapon that when used in a fight made the opponent appear to be moving and flowing freely, the double-ended glaive an extension of his body, twirling and twisting to attack with both ends. It took me a little while to figure out a fighting style that works with the new weapon, after a few days I had found a rhythm that felt comfortable, moving and dancing around quickly. I typically just practice on a tree, hacking and slashing it to pieces as I dance around it, striking quickly yet accurately in my spinning. Now it was just a matter of practice.

Choosing my new target, I walked up to the chosen tree and stood ready. Knees bent, shoulders-width apart with my back straight, holding the glaive loosely in one hand and slightly behind me. I exhaled slowly as I began to move.

Starting off, I slowly span the glaive. As the blades cut through the air, they left a faint, black and purple trail which faded after a second or two. Each spin of the staff left deep grooves in the bark. Alternating strikes between blades; left, right, left, right. Then, without breaking the rhythm, I began to move my feet, starting to rotate with my weapon. Spinning the staff behind my back, I reached around with the other hand, continuing to spin the weapon. Trails of purple and black wrapped around me, following the weapon's movements. Moving slowly, but gradually increasing my speed, I carried on leaving deep scars in the tree, becoming lost within my own dance. Eventually, I stopped spinning and faced the tree again, this time with the staff held in two hands.

Swishing the staff by my left side, I brought the blade down hard across the tree, leaving the deepest groove I had made yet. Using the momentum of the swing, I then swished it by my right, bringing it down again even harder, leaving a diagonal slash in the tree that bisected the previous one. This rhythm carried on until I had almost cut all the way through the tree. With a final yell, I spun around and drove my glaive forward in a stabbing motion, impaling the tree right in the centre of the cross I had been cutting in.

With a great groan, the tree fell over backwards, causing a flock of birds to fly aware in fear. Sweating heavily from the training, I looked at my glaive one final time before throwing it forward casually, opening the Void around it and the weapon disappeared.

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I turned back to the tree that laid on the ground. The floor was littered with wood chippings and chunks of bark that had flown off with my strikes; the tree itself was covered in deeps cuts and grooves, scars marking its body. 'Kinda looks like me now.' I thought darkly, reflecting briefly on my own scars before pushing the thought aside.

Using the shadows, I cut the tree into smaller pieces of lumber, picking up what I can carry in my arms and then commanding the shadows to collect the rest, I began walking back to my cave.

 **-(LINE BREAK)-**

So far, my time back in the real world had been peaceful and undisturbed, with me spending my days honing my skills. I was now easily as proficient with my new weapon as I was my old weapon. Anaklusmos, or Riptide, had been taken from me in the Olympian throne room after being struck by Zeus' master bolt. I was very attached to that sword, it had saved my life many times during the years and it was a reminder of my friend, Zoe Nightshade, who had died several years ago on the quest to save the moon goddess. At first, I had thought that Tartarus' magic prevented Riptide from returning to my pocket, just as it's magic had stripped me of the Curse of Achilles, but when I returned to the world and it still didn't return to me I had realised it was probably claimed by the gods, never to return to my pocket again. There was no denying that I missed the weapon greatly but my new double-ended glaive was beautiful and felt like it was a part of me, just as Riptide had been an extension of my arm. They were completely different in every way yet both felt perfect in my hands.

Unfortunately, the Curse of Achilles hadn't returned either. It seems that Tartarus had permanently removed it, something I figured out the hard way after I had fell from a platform of shadows during training one day and broke my arm. Thanks to Hemera's powers of healing, I managed to fix it but the drain on my powers was pretty intense. When I first got the blessing, I was thinking that I'd be bringing people back from the brink of death but healing a broken arm had made me so weak I could barely stand. And its not exactly something I can properly train, unless I intentionally hurt myself just to repair the damage but honestly, I've had enough pain in my lifetime already and I'm not exactly eager for more.

I started coming close to home, the lake next to my cave was now visible and the sun was almost setting. I stopped, smiling at the view of my home, before casting my senses out like a wave forwards, feeling everything. I could hear all the animals, the insects chattering around on the ground. I wasn't normally one for admiring nature, being born and raised in a city, but these past few weeks have really changed how I see the world.

The sound of bowstrings being pulled behind me snapped me out of admiring the scenery and spun around, the wood clattering to the floor as my concentration on the shadows slipped and they dissipated. To most, all they would see would be trees and bushes but to my eyes, I could clearly see the girls in silver crouched down with their bows drawn and pointed at me. One of them, a girl what looked around 15 with long, light-brown hair, released her arrow. Quickly, my hand flashed forward and caught the arrow by the shaft, its head mere inches away from my chest.

My eyes glowed ominously as I glared into the bushes, directly into the eyes of the brown-haired girl. With a scowl, she stepped out of the bushes and her sisters soon followed. Eight of them in total. Reaching out with my telepathy, I probed the girl's mind.

" _How did this male spot me!? And how did he manage to move so fast, only the best of the Hunters are capable of doing what he's just done! We should alert the other hunting parties in the area that we've found someone, this could be the person responsible for the large power signatures My Lady was speaking of."_

Pulling back from her mind, I decided to act before she called for reinforcements. "Hello." I said with an easy-going smile. "You know, next time maybe you should have come talk to me _before_ shooting an arrow at me. I'm just a regular guy taking a stroll through the woods. You could have murdered me just now."

All their faces contorted in disgust before the brown-haired girl, I'm guessing the leader of their little squad, spoke. "And you think we care?" She spat at me, hatred in her eyes. "All of you males are just the same: Pathetic, no-good wastes of space who lie and cheat and harm innocent women! You should all be shot on sight!" She sneered cruelly.

I frowned at her words, before a deep scowl replaced it.

"You're all Artemis' lot right? The Hunters? Oh great, just what I need. A bunch of pre-teen man-haters trying to kill me." Now I wasn't happy. Artemis, one of the backstabbing gods who threw me into hell. My aura flickered dangerously, the grass around me laying flat as power pulsed off of me.

Another hunter, around 13 with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes spoke up. "Shut up! Yes, we are the Hunters of Artemis and you need to come with us, our Lady wishes to speak with you." This hunter was slightly less aggressive than her brown-haired sister but still carried the same hate in her voice.

"I will not be going anywhere with you, especially not to your mistress. I won't give her a chance to fuck me over again."

The girls stiffened at my words and 2 of them also released their arrows, causing me to quickly project a glowing purple and black barrier of Void energy in front of me, causing the arrows the break in half before fading. All the girls gasped and one of them pulled something small out of the pocket in her silver parka. She raised it in the air and fired, releasing a silver flare into the orange sky.

"For gods' sake, why would you do that...This has just got a whole lot harder." I muttered as my sharp ears detected the sound of people running towards our position from every direction. Girls of all ages now stood in a circle, surrounding me and preventing me from escaping. However, one girl held my attention. Standing tall and proud with a silver circlet resting in her raven black hair, with eyes a bright, electric blue staring at me, as if daring me to try run.

"Thalia?" My voice came out as a whisper but luckily, she heard me.

"Can I help you with something?" She said with a confused look on her face.

"Thalia...you know me." The frown on her face deepened even further, trying to recognise me after all the changes that I've undergone.

"No, I don't think I do." She said slowly. "Listen, I don't know how you know my name but just know that if you even think about trying to run, you'll have so many arrows sticking out of you, you'll resemble a porcupine. You got that?" The daughter of Zeus told me threateningly. The hunters around her smiled evilly, practically begging me to run.

I was hurt that she didn't recognise me before quickly wiping my face of any emotion and trying to calm my rapid heartbeat and flaring aura. It didn't help with the auburn-haired devil stood right next to Thalia, glaring at me with glowing silver eyes.

"Artemis..." I growled as I stared into her young face and godly glare.

She frowned at the hostility I was showing and honestly, I'm not surprised. She's probably used to 'disgusting males' such as myself to either be infatuated with her or begging for their lives, sometimes both at the same time.

"Who are you _boy?_ How do you know myself and my lieutenant?" Her voice was laced with venom. "You do not have a godly parent from what I can tell, yet you have power and know about us."

"I'm surprised you don't recognise me _Arty,_ " I spat. I knew calling her Arty would infuriate her beyond all belief and to my satisfaction I heard her let out a deep growl in her throat. The _twang_ of a bowstring behind me told me all it needed to and I casually leaned to the side, an arrow whizzing past me. The arrow continued its path, causing the hunters in front of me to shriek and jump out of the way of the rogue arrow.

A hearty laugh erupted from my lips as I turned around to see the embarrassed, guilty looking huntress. The grass crunched behind me as I spun around, just as a fist connected with my cheek, sending me flying backwards. Picking myself up, I glared at the furious Artemis, my eyes bursting into their true form.

Artemis stepped back in shock at the power rolling off of me before shaking off her trepidation. Pulling out twin hunting knives, both gleaming silver, she stepped towards me again. "You almost injured my hunters." she hissed at me.

"It was one of your hunters who shot the arrow." I frowned, still glaring at the goddess.

Artemis looked ready to explode. "JUST TELL ME YOUR NAME!" She roared at me, silver light starting to appear around her.

"You know my name, Huntress. You cursed my name and threw me into hell." I growled at her.

The light stopped immediately and realisation dawned on her face. "...Perseus?" she said softly, her eyebrows furrowed. My eyes dimmed, returning to normal.

Thalia looked like she'd been smacked, even stumbling slightly. "Percy? Kelp Head is that you?" She dropped her bow and stepped towards me tentatively.

"Can't call me Kelp Head anymore Thals, I'm not _his_ son anymore." I bitterly respond.

Thalia frowned in confusion before looking at her mistress and back at me. "What-What the Hades do you mean you're not his son!?"

My eyes widened in surprise before glaring once again at Artemis. "SHE DOESN'T KNOW!? Please tell me you told her, that you _mighty Olympians_ messed up." I did quotations with my hands when I said 'might Olympians'.

"What is he talking about? Artemis, what the HELL is he talking about!?" Thalia screeched at the pale goddess.

"We-we decided the demigods didn't need to know what transpired that day." She said weakly.

My anger exploded and my aura flared massively, shadows shooting outwards, a wave of darkness knocking everyone in the vicinity back off their feet. My eyes were a swirling storm of power as I started running. The hunters shot to their feet and immediately began to fire silver arrows at me. Spinning around and acting on instinct, I push my hand forward and a wave of power erupted outwards. All the hunters struck by my power suddenly found themselves trapped in black rock that had grown out of the ground, encasing their lower bodies and preventing them from chasing me. 'I guess that's the Cursed Rock thing from Tartarus.' I thought before quickly sprinting away.

Leaping over a fallen log, I willed myself to transform and as I landed I did so in the form of a giant wolf. My paws slammed into the ground, carrying me further and further away from the hunters but I knew I couldn't just outrun them. Once I got a good distance away, I willed myself to change back.

It was a power I hadn't gotten around to trying yet, honestly I was a little afraid to try. Summoning my glaive from the Void was hard enough, nevermind tearing a hole through the universe wide enough for a person to walk through. Nevertheless, I had to try, otherwise I'm going to end up having to fight my way out and I don't like my chances against that many immortal huntresses and the goddess of the moon herself.

Quickly reaching out with my powers of Chaos, I grabbed hold of the Void and began to pull. It was difficult and the energy it took was quite extensive, especially since I had already spent the whole day training, my reserves were already running quite low. I could already hear the shouts and yells in the distance, no doubt they were only a minute away. Gritting my teeth, I pulled with my powers and the tear got wider. The entire time, all I was thinking was 'Somewhere safe, somewhere safe, somewhere safe'. Probably not the best destination plan when summoning a portal through space but honestly, I couldn't think of anything else. Finally, I'd created a tear large enough and stopped pulling, instead focusing on keeping the portal open. Inside the portal, I saw an empty living room.

I suddenly felt several arrows pierce my back. I fell to the floor with a grunt, the pain clouding my vision for a second. Shaking my head, I tried to stand. The pain was bad, but I was used to much worse. Already I could see the portal starting to close and tried to drag myself towards it. Feeling the rush of air and static electricity, I crossed through the portal. Just before it closed I saw several furious hunters running towards me, with an even angrier Thalia running behind them. The portal snapped shut with a soft _whump._

I didn't know where I was but I knew that it was 'somewhere safe'. The cream carpets underneath me were already quickly turning red from my injuries. The pain in my back and the complete drainage of my powers caused exhaustion to creep up on me. As my vision faded to black I faintly heard a woman gasp and shattering of plates before I fully fell unconscious.

 **Another chapter done! Hopefully you all think it was a good follow on from the first one. First thing's first though, thank you! Thank you to everyone who has read my story and to the people giving me feedback I love you all. I was up at 4am just checking my story, seeing if anyone has read it and reading the first few reviews.**

 **By the way, if you're wondering what Percy's new weapon looks like, look up "Orthos warframe". I had an idea in mind for what I wanted it to look like and I found that picture and I just thought, WOW, it fits exactly to what I want it to be.**

 **Anyway, time to respond to some of the reviews.**

 **williamjamesephillips:** _Ooh very interesting. Keep up the good work. Artemis is going to have a lot of making up to do to percy :P_

 **Thanks! Glad you think its interesting and thanks for your kind words, you're making me blush. You're right, Artemis is going to be in the dog house for quite a while.**

 **plums:** _Would be nice to see something besides the old "guardian of the hunt" trope that drives Artemis and Percy together._

 **I agree friend, honestly even though it's one of my favourite themes for a story, I fully acknowledge that it's very over used. I do feel like a position like the "guardian" does often make it much easier to put them together because I can't honestly see Artemis getting with Percy unless he was in a position where they're around each other enough and in such a trusting position for her to fall in love. My idea of Artemis just doesn't seem like the type to fall for someone she barely sees or trusts. Just my onion. I mean opinion.**

 **TheYoLOMan:** _Good start to your story, love the fact that you are going with pertemis story (it's my favourite). I don't really care for Guardian of the hunt stories anymore but hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it. I love the concept still, love the op Percy who needs to master his power; and hope he punches Zeus in his balls...and brosideon. Anyways good shit!_

 **Thanks man! I love Pertemis, it's like 90% of the fanfics I read. Can't stand Percabeth but at the same time I don't like everyone shitting on Annabeth, making her some huge bitch just to make the breakup more explosive. Don't you worry about Zeus' boys downstairs, they're gonna get what they deserve although it might not be a while. Mah boy Percy isn't quite at the "Walk up and nut punch the king of the gods" stage yet. Maybe one day.**

 **Death Fury:** _Love the story so far! Please update soon!_

 _I do not think Percy is too powerful. He needs to train otherwise he would end up just killing himself (or a friend) with his powers._

 _Once again Great job on the chapter!_

 **BOOM! Chapter within 24 hours! You were one of the people who inspired me to begin writing straight away, at first I was planning on doing it in a few days but naah. Also, love the name. Hopefully you enjoyed a little look into Percy's training, I'll carry on training him for a while but I think soon I might do a small time skip (6 months ish?) just to round off some of his edges. In this chapter I tried to show that while Percy has quite a huge storage of power inside him, he still doesn't have full control or even full access. Healing a broken bone and opening one portal practically knocks him out.**

 **Tobias97:** _Pretty interesting. I don't feel percy is too op, considering some of the things the characters were able to do at the end of blood of olympus (especially Hazel and Piper), canon percy felt kinda underpowered to be honest_

 **Agreed...man I hated that book. Not to speak badly about our great lord and saviour Ricky, but come on man! At some point during the story, Hazel just** ** _happens_** **to be amazing with the mist for no reason, Piper's charmspeak is probably on a level above her mother's, making her probably the strongest of the 7 just for NO reason. Hopefully you enjoyed my way of showing Percy's "strong but not strong" powers for now. Strong capabilities, not so strong execution of them.**

 _Guest: This is really so much better than most if not all stories like this for the start anyway you didn't rush there were very few mistakes and it was well written and actually had character development for the primordials. Ready for another chapter._

 **Here is your other chapter my mystery friend. Honestly, you shouldn't be so nice to lil ol' me, there are some amazing stories and authors out there, I'd fully recommend finding them, they put my shoddy story to shame. Thanks nevertheless! You're so nice :)**

 **spnaph:** _This looks good!_

 **You look good! You beautiful bastard you.**

 **That's all for the reviews, thank you to all of you. I hope this chapter goes down just as well as the first one did, you all seem to have enjoyed it. If you do, please make sure to drop another review if you've got the time, it really helps motivate me into writing and getting out chapters as fast as possible!**

 **Anyways, Peace out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Third person's POV**

The hunters screamed as the large, glowing purple tear sealed itself, closing them off from their prey. The girl who had fired the first arrow at the male, scowled deeply before rapidly firing arrows in quick succession into a nearby tree in anger. Phoebe was not happy, first this male had the audacity to spot her, then insult them and their mistress before attacking them all and bolting off into the night. And he actually managed to escape! No one escaped the hunters!

Artemis finally appeared next to the group, determination set in her face but her eyes showed how she was really feeling: regret, guilt, sadness and anger all mixed in her pale silver eyes. When the wave of shadows had struck the group, Artemis had been thrown the furthest away, since she had been stood the closest to the former son of Poseidon.

"Did you find him?" Artemis spoke, gripping her bow tightly.

Another hunter, a dirty blonde-haired girl with a light tan and blue eyes, kicked a loose rock on the ground before replying. "He got away Milady." Sara answered sourly.

"How in Hades' name did he manage to get away!? What happened?" Artemis demanded, growling softly at the thought of someone escaping her hunters.

"He did some strange things Milady, he first trapped some of us in this strange black rock so we couldn't chase him, it didn't release us until he was almost getting away, I don't think he could hold it from so far away. When we caught up to him, he was stood with his hand outstretched and there was something weird in front of him. It was like he was ripping the air apart. Just as he was about to step through though, a few of us managed to hit him with arrows. He's probably bleeding out while we speak." Sara replied, feeling smug once she had realised maybe the prey didn't escape after all.

Artemis paled. "You did what!? We don't want him killed, we need to bring him to the council. Somehow, that boy has managed to escape Tartarus and we need to know how he did this and where his loyalties lie now." She almost screamed. "They most likely aren't with us now..." Her voice dropping, tinged with slight sadness.

Artemis truly had regretted her actions back in the throne room. She had acted rashly and refused to listen to the boy, despite all he had done for them they had still not given him the chance to explain his side of the story. It was just instinct for Artemis to distrust a male, even someone who had done so much, shown such loyalty to his friends and family, she did not trust the boy. Instead, she trusted the word of a maiden, the daughter of Athena, because she will always, ALWAYS, trust a woman over a man.

It turns out, that had been a mistake. The daughter of Athena, Annabeth, had been manipulated and controlled by the son of Hermes. None of us are quite sure how he did it but Apollo swears that she was telling the truth.

Turning around, she saw her half sister and Lieutenant, marching up to her with a scowl plastered on her face as electricity sparked around her. Artemis was slightly nervous. While she was not afraid of the demigod, the look on her face was almost exactly like the one Zeus wore when he was furious, it was a little unnerving to be honest. Also, she knew what Thalia was going to ask her and she honestly did not have an explanation.

Turning around quickly, Artemis raised her voice. "Everyone! For now, we will rest here for the night." She addressed the group of girls. Finally deciding the face Thalia. "Not here Thalia." She quickly interjected before the black-haired daughter of Zeus could begin her interrogation. "Come speak with me in private."

Thalia frowned at being interrupted before she could even start her questioning but nevertheless nodded curtly, lightning still bouncing off of her skin.

The two daughters of Zeus began walking through the trees until Artemis found a suitable place for her tent. Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew a small, folded package that sat in the middle of her palm. Flicking it towards the forest floor, the package suddenly exploded outwards, unfolding and stretching, growing larger until a large, silver tent was pitched on the ground.

Walking through the tent flaps, she settled on the corner of the large bed that was covered in a variety of animal pelts. Thalia flew into the tent before slamming down on the stool next to the bed. Looking expectantly at her mistress, her lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed dangerously, awaiting an explanation.

"Listen Thalia...you know what you were told about the day Kronos was defeated?"

Thalia's scowl deepened even further, that was not a good day to talk about. After fighting for days to protect New York, losing countless friends and sisters, she had gone up to Olympus with her cousin and childhood friends to face the titan of time, only to end up having a statue of Hera fall on her legs, trapping her under the weight of the queen of Olympus.

"You told me that Kronos was killed along with Luke, except when the light cleared, Percy was missing. Why did Percy say he wasn't the son of Poseidon anymore? If Kronos took Percy, how did he escape? Where did he get his new powers? Wha-" Thalia fired off in quick succession before halting when Artemis raised her hand.

"Well...that isn't exactly what happened..." Artemis spoke after a long pause, talking slowly as if she was working the words around her mouth.

"What do you mean, Artemis?" Thalia spoke dangerously, angered at being lied to.

"It would be easier if you just listened to the whole story before interrupting me." Artemis sighed, finally deciding on simply revealing everything. Thalia nodded stiffly and Artemis sighed again, rubbing her face tiredly.

"After we had defeated Typhon, the gods quickly gathered and made their way back to Olympus, expecting to have to face off against Kronos after the demigods held him off. When we got there, we were shocked to see that he had already been defeated and not only that, the son of Hermes had been spared." Thalia's eyebrows shot upwards. Luke was alive? Opening her mouth to question this, she stopped before closing it again, letting Artemis continue. "Before any of us could react, our father fired his master bolt at Perseus, who was carrying the scythe of Kronos. Zeus says he thought Perseus had been possessed by Kronos, honestly though, some of us just thought he didn't want to miss an opportunity to blast the son of his rival while everything was happening." Artemis chuckled weakly, eyes glazed over as she was lost in her memory.

Thalia's eyes blazed at her father's stupidity. Percy may have not died, but being struck by the master bolt must have come close to killing him. She stood up and kicked the stool underneath her, sending it flying outside the tent before it shattered. Her arms trembled with rage before looking back at Artemis, who didn't seem to have even noticed Thalia's anger.

"It took Demeter, myself, Hades and Hermes to keep Uncle Poseidon from impaling Zeus for attacking his son. When he finally calmed down enough, we repaired our thrones and asked the son of Hermes and your friend Annabeth what had happened. Castellan told us that Perseus had revealed that he was secretly on Kronos' side all along, while Castellan was controlled and manipulated the entire ti-" A furious scream interrupted her and Artemis finally looked over at Thalia. Huge bolts of lightning was erupting from her, striking the ground and turning it black. Raising her hand and creating a shield of godly energy around herself, she waited until Thalia regained control.

Thalia, on the other hand, was furious. Already she could see where this story was going. "WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Thalia screamed at her half sister.

"What we thought was right!" Artemis screamed back standing to face her Lieutenant, her true form shining through slightly as her eyes glowed and a silver light illuminated her skin softly. The light faded as she slumped back onto the bed. "We thought we did the right thing..." She said again softly.

"Castellan swore on the river Styx that Perseus fought against him wielding the scythe," Artemis carried on in a quiet voice, once again staring into space. "He said that Annabeth got a lucky shot on the essence of Kronos, causing it to fade back into the pit. Annabeth confirmed everything Luke said. When...when Perseus awoke, we sent the demigods away. He told us he was innocent but we didn't listen. We had a vow on the Styx, we thought it was enough. Apollo wasn't in the meeting, he had been hit by Typhon quite badly and had to be sent to his temple to recover. W-we decided that the boy's punishment w-would be..." Artemis trailed off, not wanting to finish. She stared sadly into her lap.

"Punishment was what Artemis!? What did you do to my cousin!?" Thalia roared.

Artemis looked up, the remorse in her eyes clear. "Tartarus. We sent him to Tartarus."

Thalia's face went blank for a second, her brain trying to comprehend what had been said. Her feet moved without her brain knowing, carrying her outside the tent and towards where Percy had last been seen. She sat on the grassy ground, totally oblivious to the raging winds and flashes of lightning that arced across the night sky. The other hunters were shouting at her, trying to get her to control her powers that were running rampant. She was unknowingly on the verge of destroying the entire camp.

A young girl with black hair ran up to Thalia, battling against the winds that tried to batter her to the ground. She eventually got close enough and just wrapped her arms around Thalia's neck, who was just staring blankly ahead with tears glistening freshly in her eyes.

"Thalia...please stop." The young girl whispered in her ear.

Immediately, the winds dropped and the threat of lightning vanished. A thick cry erupted from Thalia's throat, sobbing at the thought of what her cousin had been through. She wrapped her arms tightly around the little girl's small frame, pulling her tightly into her chest as she cried.

The young girl was a daughter of Aphrodite called Jasmine but everyone in the hunt called her Jazz. Ever since she had joined the hunt, she had clung to Thalia like she was her lifeline and Thalia couldn't help but fall in love with the 7 year old. Her long, silky black hair framed her round face, her bangs falling slightly in front of her deep blue eyes. Jazz was crying heavily, clinging to Thalia. She was terrified of the storm and upset at seeing her hero so distraught.

"He probably hates us, Jazz." Thalia croaked. "He'll never want anything to do with us again..."

Jazz was confused as to why Thalia was crying over a man, the hunt was teaching her that all males are bad and to never trust them. "Who was he?" She asked curiously.

"He was my cousin and he was one of the best people I know. He didn't deserve T-Tartarus." The daughter of Zeus cried.

Jazz wasn't sure what to say, so she just hugged her even tighter.

Artemis watched the interaction of her hunters sadly, knowing she was partially responsible for her Lieutenant feeling so bad. Artemis herself was one of the people who had voted for Perseus to be sent to Tartarus, she hadn't even hesitated. She knew she should have listened to his pleas but the Huntress inside of her was cheering, finally, a reason to hate the boy. He had done nothing to earn her scorn before but for a brief time, she finally had a reason. Males are despicable and liars. There is no exception to the rule. Not even Perseus anymore.

Now however, she knew better. Apollo had called them out on their mistake and the son of Hermes' escape only further confirmed it. When Annabeth had been freed of his control, she begged and cried for us to bring him back, telling us the real truth of what had happened. Perseus was a hero. He didn't deserve hell.

A golden light appeared behind Artemis and she turned, looking at the stoic face of Hermes. Long gone was the trickster god, playing pranks on other gods. He hadn't been the same since Percy's trial. As soon as Perseus had been sentenced, Hermes had burst into his true form, destroying part of the throne room in his enraged state before finally disappearing. He still performed his duties, one of the few gods who took truly stuck to them, but he was no longer followed with smiles and laughter.

"Council meeting. You're needed to report on your findings." Hermes said curtly.

Acknowledging her fellow council member with a simple nod, he once again disappeared with a warm, golden light. Casting one final glance at her grieving hunter, Artemis flashed out of the forest in a silver light.

 **-(LINE BREAK)-**

The rest of the Olympians were already gathered in the throne room, each sat on their respective thrones. Artemis strode across the marble floor, changing into her godly height as she walked before seating herself on her silver throne. Her father, the king of the gods, looked at her expectantly, waiting to receive her report on her latest mission.

"So my daughter, how goes the hunt?" Zeus asked his daughter, a small smile on his face. Despite what people thought of him, he cared deeply for his children, especially his little huntress.

Artemis took a deep breath before speaking. "There has been developments father. We tracked the mysterious source of power near Mount Saint Helens to the nearby forests. Here, the track became a little hazy but clearly the individual had been living there for some time and so we couldn't track his exact location. I split the hunters into several hunting parties and sent them out to search the nearby area."

"Hold on, why couldn't you track him? Surely someone giving off that level of power must have had a distinguishable scent for you to track, all demigods and strong monsters do." Apollo cut across his sister. He had also become a lot more serious in the past few years, taking greater care of his domains, although he still sometimes teased Artemis, which irked her to no end.

"I'm getting to that. We found several patches of the woodland missing in places, the trees and ground burnt heavily. Finally, I received the signal that one of my hunting parties had found someone. When I arrived, there was a man surrounded by my hunters who seemed to be the source of the power signatures we've been detecting. However, he barely had the scent of a demigod at all, at first I thought him nothing more than possibly a Legacy, he felt almost mortal." I explained.

"How could a mortal be giving off the power spikes that we've been detecting? Did he have some sort of weapon with him?" Hephaestus asked interested, his hands flying away at the contraption in his hands.

"No, the power was definitely coming from him. Although he had no distinguishable scent, he most definitely had an aura of power surrounding him, strong enough to put him on the same level as one of us." the goddess of the moon said.

"WHAT? How can a mortal have as much power as us? This is unacceptable, this man must be found and we must send him to Tartarus!" Zeus thundered.

"A mortal cannot hold that much power, it is impossible." Athena said, her face flushed. 'A mortal, be as powerful as the gods? I would like to see that.' She thought, her pride clouding her mind.

"We can't father, that's what got us in this situation in the first place." Artemis informed him, knowing fully the chaos that was about to explode in the throne room.

"What do you mean Artemis?" the god of the seas asked his niece. His eyes were a hollow shell of what they used to be. Poseidon had been inconsolable when he realised he had abandoned his only demigod child when it turns out, he was innocent.

"The man...it was Perseus. It was your son Poseidon." I said, looking my uncle in his sea green eyes.

His worn face broke into a huge smile, tears appearing in his eyes. "My Percy? He's come back?" He said in wonder, already thinking of all the things he wanted to say to his son.

"You don't deserve to call him that." Hermes said coldly. "You lost that right when you betrayed him and threw him into hell. You disowned him Poseidon, you broke his heart." Casting a fierce look at the god.

Poseidon rose from his throne, his trident appearing in his hands. "Watch who you speak to Hermes." He growled at his fellow god. "I will make things right with him when we bring him back here."

Hermes also stood, his caduceus appearing, the two snakes George and Martha coiling around the shaft hissing menacingly. "You think he would ever want to come back here? You all BETRAYED him! All of you! The only other people who opposed your 'justice' aren't even welcomed on the council! Why do ANY of you think he will want to see ANY of us? I won't be surprised if we find out he sided with Tartarus just to escape his punishment and honestly I wouldn't blame him if he did." He roared at the council. The unfamiliar power of Hermes washing over everyone.

Rarely did he lose his temper like this, however in recent years it had been happening more and more often, but when he released his power most were shocked at what they felt. Hermes was the god of messengers, speed, travel, thieves and athletes, as well as several other duties he must perform. His large amount of domains made him extremely powerful.

Some, unfortunately, weren't bright enough to respect the power washing off of the angered god and opened their mouth. "Sit down you fool, before you get yourself hurt." Ares said with a sneer, his giant sword appearing in his lap.

Next thing anyone knew, Ares was sprawled across the marble floor, ichor rushing out of a large cut on his head. Hermes had moved faster than even the other gods could follow, smacking the god of war over the head with his caduceus before lifting him by his armour and throwing him across the room.

"HERMES! Restrain yourself or be removed from the meeting." Zeus shouted. "Ares, get back to your throne and heal yourself."

Grumbling, Ares rose and returned to his throne, eyes rolling pits of fire as he glared at his godly half-brother. The moment he sat down, his wound healed.

"Wait wait wait, if you had him surrounded then where is he?" Apollo asked.

"He managed to incapacitate some of my hunters and escape..." Artemis grumbled unhappily.

Apollo laughed. "Losing your touch little sis? Back in the day, no man could escape from you." Artemis glared at her brother, her silver bow forming in her hands. Before she could retort, Hera interrupted her.

"We must find Perseus and bring him back. We need to know how he managed to escape from Tartarus and if we still hold his allegiance." Hera spoke firmly.

"And to apologise..." Apollo muttered. Most of the gods shifted uncomfortably at the idea of apologising to a mortal.

"Apollo is right." Artemis grimaced, shocking her family with her statement. None of them expected her to defend a male, especially after her treatment of him the last time Perseus was in the throne room.

"Do you care for the man, Arty?" Aphrodite smirked. "Finally going to break that silly little oath of yours?" She squealed at the idea.

Artemis glowered at the goddess of love. "You know I will never break my vow." She hissed. "I'm just not so heartless that I do not feel bad about how we treated him! He saved us, defended our home. He should have been rewarded, not punished."

Grumbling, Zeus replied. "Yes, well, if he is still loyal to us and has not turn against us, we will think about rewarding him for his service." Hera coughed pointedly. "And as an apology." Zeus hurriedly said, looking at his wife.

"We have to find the boy first." Hephaestus said gruffly. Zeus nodded and turned to his daughter.

"Artemis, your mission is to find Jackson and bring him back here for him to explain the situation. This is your number one priority. With that, I declare this meeting adjourned."

Most of the gods flashed away, all except for Artemis, Poseidon and Hermes.

"Please niece, find him. I need to tell him...tell him how sorry I am." Poseidon said to the moon goddess sadly. Artemis nodded, determination on her face. He disappeared into sea breeze with a small smile on his face, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Hermes approached Artemis' throne with a warning look in his eyes. "It's too late for you to feel sorry now. You've already betrayed him. Do not harm him again." With that final warning, he vanished in a golden light.

Artemis was a little shocked at Hermes' protectiveness over the boy. She was used to him treating his children as such, he truly cared for those in Cabin 11, but seeing how he treated Perseus, she would have thought he was one of his own children if she didn't know better.

Shaking her head, she stood from her throne, grim determination on her face. She was going to find Perseus and hope he forgives them. If he doesn't, she'll turn him into a woodland creature and hunt him down, like the rest of the male population she stumbles across. With that thought in her mind, she was surrounded by silver light and vanished, leaving the throne room empty.

 **-(LINE BREAK)-**

Percy awoke with a slight groan, feeling the stiffness in his muscles and a slight ache in his back as he sat up. He remembered running from the hunters, opening a portal and then getting shot with arrows. Glancing over his shoulder worriedly, he was glad to see that the arrows were no longer there.

Looking down on himself, he was shirtless, his torso wrapped heavily in white bandages. He was sat in a bed with light blue bedding, making him feel oddly nostalgic. 'My old bed in my mum's apartment used to look like this.' Percy thought sadly. They were simpler times before he found out he was a demigod, the worst he had to worry about was trying not to get kicked out of whatever school he was currently attending and Smelly Gabe.

He had thought about his mother every day since he got out of Tartarus, wondering how she was, how Paul was. He didn't even know if they were still alive, the last time he had seen them, Sally and Paul had been fighting off monsters surrounding the Empire State Building. And if they survived, what did they think of Percy? Had the gods told them of his 'betrayal'?Did they hate him?

Groaning, Percy flopped backwards, staring at the ceiling in despair. First thing's first, he needed to find out where he was but after that, he swore to himself he would find his mother and tell her the truth. All he knew was that wherever he had ended up, the people there had cared enough to fix him up.

Standing from the bed, Percy walked over to the full length mirror on the wall. Using his shadow powers, he cut pulled the bandages off his chest and turned around to view the damage. Surprisingly, most of the wounds had already began to seal, leaving behind 6 red scars. Focusing on the wounds, they began to glow with a bright, white light and when it faded, the red scars gone, a slight wave of fatigue washing over him. Using Hemera's blessing was difficult and draining but Percy knew he needed the practice.

Looking around the room, Percy felt a deep feeling of familiarity. The blue walls, blue carpet and blue bed striking a chord in his mind. On the wall there was a picture. Walking over quickly, he realised he recognised it. The picture showed a bunch of kids of all ages, all stood in front of a giant, clear blue lake. Everyone was wearing orange t-shirts with black writing on the front, spelling 'Camp Half-Blood'.

Camp. He remembered the picture being taken, just days before they went off to defend Olympus from the titan army. His eyes latched onto the raven-haired boy smiling into the camera, his sea green eyes bright with mirth, his arm slung casually around the blonde-haired daughter of Athena.

Sighing, he touched the picture gently before stepping back. Those days are gone now. He knew where he was now though. The room was _his room._ No wonder the bed looked a lot like the one at his mother's, it was the _same_ bed. Percy rushed out of the room and into the kitchen and there she was, sat at the table.

Sally Jackson.

She looked up from her cup of coffee that she had been staring intently into for past hour, shocked to find her injured, bedridden son standing before her after being missing for the past 3 whole years.

"Mum." Percy croaked, his voice suddenly failing.

Quick as a flash, Sally stood up and threw herself at her son, wrapping her arms around his neck and sobbed into his bare chest. Percy wrapped his arms around his mother, holding her close as tears began to fall from his eyes.

"I'm sorry I left you mum, I'm so sorry." He poured, tears streaming down his face. Sally just hugged her son tighter, unable to believe that it's really him. When she found him passed out in her living room, she had thought it was her lost son but she wasn't certain. His hair was different, with almost as much white hair as he had black; when she had opened his eyes they were swirling mixtures of colours, none of the traces of the sea green her son had always had, matching those of her old lover. His body was noticeably muscled while her son had always been more on the leaner side. Finally, there were the scars. When she had carefully removed the arrows from his back and removed his shirt, she was horrified to see the extensive scarring the man had. Slashes, burns, stab wounds, all mixing covering his upper torso. Despite all the differences, Sally couldn't help feeling like this man was her son.

It wasn't until he stood before her, stunned look on his face did she know for certain it was him. He pulled the exact same face, jaw dangling, eyes almost popping out of his skull. She just continued to cry, her baby must have been through so much. The sadness and pain in his eyes were obvious to her, she could knew her son better than anyone.

She pulled back to look at her son, still holding onto him as if he would suddenly disappear again. "Where have you been all these years? What happened to you, my poor baby..." She cried, one of her hands following the long, thick scars on his chest.

"What did the gods tell you?" Percy asked with a scowl, the tears slowly stopping.

"The-they said you had been ki-killed fighting Kronos. Poseidon said you sacrificed yourself to save the world." She could barely understand what was happening. He was supposed to be dead but here her son was, admittedly very different but still the same person.

"Is that what he told you, huh?" Percy said bitterly, his eyes slightly glowing in anger. "Couldn't even tell you the truth, that spineless, no-good..."

Sally was, to say the least, a little shocked at listening to her son talk about his father that way. "What do you mean? Percy, what did the gods not tell me?" She asked, a furious expression starting to grow on her face.

"It's probably best you sit down mum." He led her back over to the table, she still refused to let go of his hand but he didn't mind, she was his mother and he had missed her. "I did actually fight Kronos in the throne room, they didn't lie about that bit. I didn't die, I actually won. I used Kronos scythe against him and managed to graze Luke's weak spot. It wasn't much, just a tiny cut but it worked. Kronos was separated away from Luke and disappeared."

Sally was immensely proud of her son, he had stood against his evil grandfather and manage to defeat him, even managing to save his old friend.

"As soon as it was over, Annabeth starting tending to Luke." Percy carried on, a tone of bitterness underlying his voice. "When he began waking up, she kissed him." Sally gasped, she had been sure when she had met the girl that she secretly harboured feelings for her son, just as she knew her son loved Annabeth. She squeezed Percy's hand comfortingly, causing him to smile softly at his mother. His smile vanished as he carried on speaking.

"After a few minutes, the gods arrived, having finished battling Typhon. I had picked up the scythe of Kronos, just so no bullshit managed to make us lose such a dangerous weapon. Turns out, that was a mistake. Zeus fired his master bolt at me as soon as he saw me, probably thinking I was the new Kronos or something." He stopped as his mother began cursing colourfully, using words to describe Zeus in ways Percy didn't think he ever could repeat. He looked in shock at his mother's language, never before had he heard her cuss like that. When she had finished, Percy continued.

"Anyway...when I woke up all the Olympians were looking at me like I'd just murdered someone's granny. They accused me High Treason." He looked at her mother, half expecting her to burst into swearing again. Instead she sat, her eyes burning in a fierce glare. Turns out, I didn't get my glare from Poseidon.

" _Bastards."_ She hissed. Percy just laughed sourly and nodded in agreement.

"They told me that Luke had sworn on the river Styx that I had fought against him. That I had secretly been working for Kronos the entire time. Annabeth agreed with everything Luke said." I said, his face tight in a cold mask.

"OBVIOUSLY YOU FOUGHT AGAINST HIM! He was Kronos!" My mother shrieked loudly. "AND ANNABETH! I treated that girl like she was my own daughter and she goes and stabs you in the back for the sake of Luke!?" His mother fumed, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Apparently, when they kissed, Luke did something to her. I'm not sure, probably something he got from Hecate as a back up plan. But the entire time, Annabeth wasn't in control of what she was doing. She didn't know." Percy explained.

"Well she may have not been in control but she still chose to kiss him! She should have told him she wanted nothing to do with him after everything he had done." Sally scowled.

"That's exactly what I thought." Percy nodded. "Back to the story, when I tried to explain what happened I barely got out two sentences before Artemis backhanded me. She hissed some shit at me about me being a male or something before storming off, honestly I was too shocked to really register what she said. When she got back to her throne, Zeus told me the punishment for my 'crime' was..." He trailed off, unsure of how his mother would take the news.

"Well!? What the hell did they do to you? Were they the ones who did this to you!?" She asked furiously, indicting towards her son's many scars.

Percy shook his head slowly. "No, at least not directly. Mum...they sent me to Tartarus." He told her bluntly, tired of beating around the bush. Sally's face slackened and went deathly white as she registered his words, leaning back heavily in her chair. She had his hand in a vice grip but he didn't mind, instead he gave it a gentle squeeze causing her to look at him.

"I'm out now though mum. I got out." He said softly, although inside his mind he was struggling to fight off the memories that surfaced of his time in Tartarus. A soft purple haze cleared his mind before he found himself back in the kitchen with his mother.

Sally reached out her hand and held his face, cupping it tenderly. "My poor baby..." She whispered, tears forming in her eyes again. "T-tell me what they did to you.

Grunting, Percy reached up and grabbed his mother's hand. "They...tortured me, mum. As soon as I arrived, I was captured by the titans. Kronos, he was so excited to see me, he did so many things to me..." He said weakly, his eyes burning with hate as he thought of his Grandfather's look of sick glee. "They did everything. Knives, swords, claws, poison, burnt me with fire, hot metal. They even drowned me mum." He looked so fragile, finally letting down his walls he had placed around his heart. He hadn't cried about his time in Tartarus, unwilling to open up the door on all that pain and sorrow. Now, the tears began flowing and they didn't stop.

Sally was horrified to hear everything that her son had been put through and quickly stood up and gathered her son in her arms, holding his head to her chest, softly running her hands through his hair like she used to when he was a child, whispering soothing words as he sobbed.

When he finally finished crying, she decided to ask the question that had been bothering her for some time. "What about your father Percy? Why didn't he try stop the others from throwing you in the pit? And why didn't he protect you from the water?"

His reaction was immediate, his entire body tensing while his jaw clenched and the skin around his eyes tightened. "He's not my father anymore, he disowned me before I was thrown in the pit." He said tightly, struggling to keep his eyes from exploding into their supernovae of power; he didn't want to scare his mother. "He didn't try stop the others because he stood with them."

Sally felt like she had her heart ripped out. A part of her had always loved Poseidon, not that she ever told Paul, but upon hearing how her former lover had turned against their son when he needed him the most, sentencing him to years of torture, all the love in her heart drained away; being replaced with pure, unadulterated hatred. "How...how could he do that to you?" She despised Poseidon with everything in her being for what he had put their son through. "Did no one at all try stop it?" Shocked at the complete betrayal of the gods.

"Hestia and Hermes did. Hades too, surprisingly." Percy replied calmly, feeling slightly happy that at least some had tried to fight for him. "All the others, Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Artemis, all of them except Apollo, agreed to the sentencing."

"That BITCH!" Sally swore loudly. Percy looked confused at his mother, waiting for her to explain. "A few weeks after _Poseidon_ told me you had died, Thalia came to visit me with _Lady Artemis._ " She hissed their names, venom dripping from her tongue. "They told me they were sorry for my loss, I _GRIEVED_ with them! I sat and cried with Thalia while Artemis watched us! She was one of the people responsible! Does Thalia know the truth!?" She demanded.

Percy shook his head quickly. "No, I don't think so. I ran into the hunters before coming here and she didn't seem to know what I was talking about."

"So they were the ones who put arrows in my son." She whispered dangerously, no doubt planning their soon demise. Percy's mother was one badass lady.

"Yeah, it was them." Percy said nervously, he had been on the receiving end of his mother's fury before and it was a place he never wanted to find himself again, with Tartarus being a close second.

"Anyway, how did you get out of Tartarus?" Her mood did a complete 180 degree flip, the anger and fury turning into worry and sadness.

He was a little unnerved by her sudden mood change. Apparently, that was another thing Percy didn't solely get from Poseidon. "The titans, they gave me something made from the pit itself that turned me into a monster. Don't worry, I'm better now!" He said hurriedly, not wanting his mother to scrutinise him further on the subject. "The stuff they gave me, it basically connected me to Tartarus, allowing him to find me."

"Tartarus...is a person?" Sally said hesitantly.

"Yeah, he's actually a really nice guy. Really misunderstood. Anyway he killed all the titans and freed me before taking me to meet the other Primordials." Percy said casually.

Sally stared at her son in shock. "You met the oldest beings in the universe?" She was beyond confused at this point, trying furiously to keep up with the story.

"Yeah, most of them are really nice. They told me that I didn't deserve to rot in the pit so they got me out. They also may have said something about another war coming up..." Percy's voice got quieter, not wanting his mother to freak out. Unfortunately, she heard every word.

"WHAT!? Percy, NO! You've done enough for this world, I'm sure the gods can handle this war without you! You've given enough and you don't need to give anymore." She exploded.

"Mum...the _gods_ don't know the extent of the threat. The Primordials gave me a huge amount of power so that I can help fight." He tried to explain.

"Please Percy, the last war you fought in was bad enough. The gods sent their own CHILDREN to fight. You were only a child and you almost died more times than I can count in service to those gods!" She said, terrified at the thought of her baby boy going off to war again.

"I need to do this mum...I'm not a child anymore, I definitely won't leave the fighting up to the children at camp. They're too young. We were all too young for the last war. This time, I can save more lives. I'm stronger now." He said quietly, the guilt of all the lives lost during the titan war weighed heavily on his mind.

Sally slouched in her chair in defeat. "Alright Percy. I can't stop you from doing this. Just please, be careful." She begged her son. "I don't care how much power you have, or how many battles you win and enemies you defeat, you're still my baby boy."

"I know mum. I love you." I reached out and hugged her gently again.

"Love you too Percy." The muffled voice from his chest said.

Pulling back with a wide smile on his face, he began to look around at the apartment. From the kitchen, he could see the open corridor to one side and to the other the living room. Percy could clearly see the large, crimson stain on the carpet and immediately winced. Standing up, he marched into the living room.

"Percy? What are you doing?" His mother asked with a frown.

"Cleaning up my mess. I can't just turn up out of the blue and bleed all over your carpets." He replied cheekily.

"Percy, don't worry about it it's fine there's no...need to..."

She watched as her son's eyes briefly glowed a brilliant gold, before suddenly the crimson in the carpet started to disappear, as if it had never existed. She shook her head softly in amazement.

"I'm guessing that's one of your new powers?"

A black and purple haze appeared around Percy's chest as his eyes glowed with the power of Chaos. A black shirt appeared, covering his scarred, muscular chest.

"One of them yeah." He replied with a smile.

Dumbfounded, Sally just nodded before hearing the door open. Smiling at Percy, she grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the door.

Paul.

Percy had missed his step father almost as much as his mother. Rushing ahead of his mother, he rounded the corner and stopped, staring in shock. Paul stood there, his salt and pepper hair still exactly the same, glasses resting on his nose. He had one hand resting on a black pram, inside was a little girl with a thick head of brown hair and eyes the exact same blue as her mother's. Percy was equally shocked when he saw Paul's other arm.

Or, technically, when he didn't see his arm. It was completely missing, all that remained of the limb was around 4 inches of his upper arm. The sleeve of his shirt was folded over and pinned, concealing his stump.

Paul stood in shock, his hand gripping the handle of the pram tightly with his one remaining hand. "Who are you? How did you get into my home?" He asked, his voice raising. "Where is my wife!?" Sally quickly appeared by Percy's side, beaming at her husband.

"Paul! Look who it is!" She said gleefully. Paul once again stared intently at Percy, trying to recognise the man who stood before him. After a minute or two, Paul staggered as if he had been hit.

"...Percy? By the gods is that you?" He said in a hushed voice. Not wanting to waste any more time, Percy rushed towards him and gathered him in a huge embrace, hugging him tightly. Paul returned the hug with equal intensity, tears falling down his face. "How are you here Percy? We thought you had died during the titan war?"

Percy quickly explained everything that had happened, watching as his step-father's expression changed from pride, disbelief, horror, anger, sadness and finally awe when he finished his story.

"You're home now my boy, you're home now." Paul said, sweeping his step son into another one-armed embrace.

"What happened to you Paul? And who is this gorgeous little girl here?" Percy asked, squatting down so he could look at his sister, a gentle smile on his lips.

Paul glanced at his missing arm and shrugged. "During the Battle of New York, a hellhound was about attack Nico. I pushed him out of the way but the damned dog got my arm, tore the whole thing off clean off." He answered, wincing slightly at the memory.

Placing an affectionate hand on her husband's remaining arm, Sally looked down at her son meeting his sister for the first time. "This little cutie here is Andy, your half sister." She told him, smiling widely.

"Andy?"

"Short for Andromeda. We figured we would keep with tradition and go for a Greek name. Also, we were hoping that, like the myth, Perseus would watch over her as she grew up." Sally answered mournfully. Percy's eye's shot up and immediately embraced his parents.

"I will always look out for her." He promised, already in love with his new baby sister. Sally and Paul smiled, glad that they had their son back. Percy bent down and picked up his sister, who shrieked with laughter and immediately placed her small hands on his face, gurgling adorably.

Percy started to dance around, bouncing little Andy on his hip as she giggled and squealed. Laughter filled the apartment as Percy interacted with his baby sister, the first genuine laugh he had since escaping from Tartarus.

A warm feeling glowed in her chest as Sally watched her children. Percy's eyes were alight, happiness and mirth shining through as he swung around, all the pain, anger, sadness, all gone as he enjoyed spending time with his family.

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 **Hello! It is currently 4am when I'm finishing this, all hail insomnia! The best thing for when you need to get shit done! I just wanted to get this chapter out as I knew a lot of you guys are wanting to know what happens.**

 **A lot of different things in this chapter and I tried a little different approach, going for the third person the entire way through. Not sure if I prefer this way to just the first person POV but I figured I'll give it a shot.**

 **A little look into the hunters and the current state of the council (Hermes love!), as well as Percy reuniting with his mortal family. Hope you all enjoyed!**

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 **Review Time!**

 **JamieValdez: Thanks for the kind words friend of support and praise, god knows I do love praise.**

 **Tobias97: Yeah I couldn't believe it when I had read it. Hazel and Piper being that powerful is all well and good in a fanfiction, but in the actual book it seemed weird and out of place. While these two are infinitely more powerful than they should be, Jason spends most of the book almost dying from a single wound, Nico can't use his powers anymore and Percy almost ends the world from a nosebleed.**

 **The Sons of the Big Three everyone. *slow clap***

 **GodoftheSeas21: Thanks! Hope this chapter is up to standard!**

 **budhayes: Most people are seeming to like the "super powerful yet under development" thing, honestly I didn't think much about it when I planned it but holy moly I'm glad I did, its gone down just swell.**

 **TheYoLOMan: Dude, you're becoming one of my favourite people on here. Thanks for reviewing again and your kind words, glad you enjoyed Percy getting shot in the back! Honestly, with the way that people are loving the developing powers thing, I think I may not end up doing a big time skip. Thanks for following the story!**

 **Guest: Thanks mystery friend! I'll certainly try keep up the work!**

 **gohanfan123: Here's more for you to sink your teeth into, enjoy friend.**

 **Scorpin17: Glad you love it! I'm loving writing it.**

 **Neonlyphe: Thanks for the inspiration cookie, tastes awesome. And thanks for the follow too! I imagine follows tastes like sunshine and...god whatever else makes normal people happy.**

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 **Thank you everyone! Hope you've all enjoyed and without further ado...Bye.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Third person's POV**

Percy had been living with his family for the last week, enjoying spending time with his parents again and getting to know his little sister. His lack of scent made it so no monsters bothered them, he could finally spend time with his mother without worrying about monsters attacking, drawn to his scent of the sea god.

Andy adored Percy and he felt the same way about her, they were practically inseparable the entire time he was around. She would always demand that her brother carry her, waddling up to him outstretching her arms and squealing until she got her own way. He didn't mind though, he loved being able to spend time with her, occasionally using his water powers to create shapes, much to Andy's amusement.

At the moment, Andy was sat on a small horse made entirely out of water as it galloped around the apartment, Andy clinging to it while giggling madly. Percy rarely got chance to practice his powers while with his mortal family but when he did, he made sure he wasn't overdoing it and releasing too much of his power. From what he could gather from the hunters, they had managed to track him down by following the large power signatures he left behind when using his abilities, a mistake he wasn't going to make again.

The water horse was the first time he had tried to create something so complex and lifelike with his water powers. It moved robotically, sometimes it's form losing its definition as Percy focused on making sure his sister was secure. It was far from perfect control and Percy knew he would have to continue to practice. Sally and Paul watched in awe at their son's control of water, love shining in their eyes at watching their children. While Percy may not be his biologically, he treated him as if he was his own.

Percy was sweating slightly at using his powers so extensively for such a long period of time. Controlling the water came naturally to him, barely using any of his concentration but trying to give it a shape that appears and moves lifelike was an entirely different story. Nevertheless, he had a broad grin on his lips as he looked at his sister's expression of glee.

Spending the past 7 days with his family felt like a dream, he barely had any flashbacks, only having nightmares a couple of nights rather than the regular nightly experiences. Living with his mortal family like this, it brought back good memories of when he was younger, living with his mother during the school year before returning to camp for the summer. Percy knew he should leave soon, he knew the gods would be looking for him and it was only a matter of time before they came here to check, but he couldn't drag himself to leave his family again after only just getting them back.

"Percy, have you thought about what you're going to do now? It's not that we don't want you here but you're probably being hunted by the gods as we speak." Sally called out to her son, saying the exact thing he had just been thinking. He sighed, knowing she was right. The water horse lost its structure as his concentration slipped. He commanded the water to lift his sister up gently and into his open arms, drying her instantly and the water returning to the sink in the kitchen.

"I know mum, I've probably already stayed too long. Just...one more night. I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning." Percy said quietly, annoyed that he had to leave.

"Well in that case, how about we go out tonight for a meal? As a family." Paul firmly stated.

Percy smiled at his stepfather. "That sounds great Paul."

They spent the rest of the day talking, enjoying each other's company as Percy continued to play with his baby sister. At around 6pm, they prepared to leave. Andy was wrapped dressed in an adorable little blue summer dress, bright pink sunglasses in the shape of hearts resting on her face, her brown hair tied in pigtails. Andy had insisted on her glasses, shouting incoherently in her own language.

Percy admired himself in the full length mirror in his room. He was wearing a pair of jeans with a dark purple button up shirt, so dark it almost seemed black. The sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing some of his many scars. He had wanted to wear something a little cooler, the summer heat of August was pretty intense, but he didn't want people staring at all his scars like he was a freak. Sure, a few scars on his forearms were pretty easy to explain; scars covering the entirety of his arms and legs? A little harder.

"Percy? Are you ready to go yet?" His mother's voice called from the other room.

"Yeah, coming now mum." He shouted back.

He sighed, knowing there wasn't much he could do to try cover his scars, and left the room. Sally was wearing a beautiful evening dress, a floor length, deep blue gown made from a material that seemed to shimmer as she moved. Paul was dressed in a shirt made of the same material with a pair of formal black trousers. The clothes were gifts from Percy, courtesy of the Void.

"You look stunning, mum." Percy told her honestly.

"Thank you dear, you don't look too bad yourself. All grown up, looking smart." She answered with a clear laugh.

As a family, they left the apartment and walked out into the warm, summer evening. They walked together, Sally and Paul hand in hand while Percy pushed his sister in her pram. After around 10 minutes, they stopped outside a fancy Italian restaurant called 'Luigi's'.

"This is it." Percy said.

"Percy, we can't get in here, you need reservations for weeks in advance to try get a table! We've been trying to get in here for weeks." Paul exclaimed.

Percy just winked casually at them and walked through the doors. A waiter stood stiffly by the door, trying his best to look professional but to Percy's excellent eyes, he could see that he was really bored and just wanted to go home.

It may also have helped that he read his mind. Just a little bit.

"Hello, may I help you fine people? Do you have a reservation?" The waiter asked, his long nose turned up into the air.

Percy snapped his fingers in front of the man's face, manipulating the mist.

"Yes we do, in fact you've already checked your bookings. You were just about to show us to our table." He said with a smile.

"Oh yes I was wasn't I, my apologies I don't know what came over me." The waiter had a glazed look in his eyes before grabbing a handful of menu's and led them through the restaurant.

"I can never understand why that works." Sally whispered quietly.

"That's because you're clear sighted, mum. If someone tried that on you, they'd end up just snapping their fingers in your face while you got annoyed." Percy whispered back, laughing quietly.

"It'd definitely work on me." Paul muttered. "You weren't even directing it at me and even I started to believe we'd actually got reservations here."

"That's just because you know I'm amazing and expect good things from me." Percy cheekily replied.

Paul laughed. "Ha! I guess you're right Perce." He said with a smile, shaking his head in disbelief.

They sat down at their table, the waiter pulling out Sally's chair for her. The waiter told them he would be back in a few minutes to collect their order and went off to fetch their drinks.

Percy decided on a large meat pizza, his mouth already watering at the thought. He realised with a shock that he hadn't had pizza since before the Battle of New York, a crime he will certainly rectify.

A different waiter approached the table carrying the tray of drinks. Paul and Sally had a bottle of red wine between them while Percy just stuck to regular diet coke. This new waiter seemed no older than Percy, awkward and fumbling as he spoke to them. What was really curious was the aura he was giving off.

Percy leant closer to the waiter. "You're a demigod, aren't you?"

His green eyes widened as his hand shot to his pocket, no doubt reaching for a concealed weapon.

"Relax, I'm not a monster." Percy explained calmly, his parents watching the interaction with interest. Andy was too busy gnawing on the handle of a silver spoon to notice what was happening.

"How did you know?" The brown haired teenager asked suspiciously, his hand staying firmly in his pocket.

"I'm a demigod too, I can sense people's aura. You feel like a demigod but I can't tell who's." He explained cautiously. "Who's your godly parent?"

"My mother is Iris."

"Why aren't you at camp?"

The waiter scowled. "I could ask you the same thing." He challenged. "Who even are you? You can't just turn up at my work and demand to know everything about me!" He whisper shouted.

"Look, I'm not here to cause trouble, I just came out with my family. My name is Percy." He offered with an apologetic smile.

"Wait...like the son of Poseidon?" He asked, looking shocked.

Percy scowled deeply. "Yeah, that's me. How do you know about me?"

"Dude, you were a legend back at the camp! What happened to you, man? You disappeared straight after the titan war, no one knew what had happened to you! Annabeth refused to talk to anyone, she just got really sad whenever someone mentioned you." He exclaimed before looking over his shoulder nervously. "Look, I need to get back to work but I finish in 20 minutes, do you mind if we catch up after this? Wait, shit, sorry my name is Peter. Peter Rains." His hand shot forward and Percy shook it firmly.

"Yeah sure Peter, I'll meet you after I've had my meal with my family." Percy told him.

Nodding, Peter walked back into the kitchens. Percy was shocked to say the least. The camp treated him as a legend? Apparently, the gods were too cowardly to tell anyone what really happened which left a bitter taste in Percy's mouth as his faced soured. Sally saw this and rested her hand comfortingly on his, giving him a small, sad smile.

Percy shook his head, unwilling to let the thought of the gods ruin his time with his family, instead focusing on enjoying their last evening together.

 **-(LINE BREAK)-**

The food was fantastic. Every bite made Percy moan in pleasure, it had been far too long since he had enjoyed food as good as this. They talked and laughed, doing their best to ignore the fact that Percy would soon be leaving them again, unsure if they would ever see him again. After all, the life he led was a dangerous one.

Percy's internal clock told him they had been there for two hours, it was almost 10 o'clock and Percy knew that Peter was waiting for an explanation. Seeing him hovering around in the background, Percy called him over to sit with himself and his family.

Percy explained everything, the gods' betrayal and his punishment in Tartarus, as well as his rescue by the hands of the Primordials and the upcoming battle he knew he had to prepare for. Needless to say, Peter was shocked but began to look at Percy as if he was some sort of superhero.

Peter then told Percy about how he left camp after the titan war, unable to return back to cabin 11 after seeing so many of his friends and family die, only to then be pushed back into the cramped Hermes cabin. He told Percy how the minor gods were all basically put on probation after the war, if they put even one godly toe out of line, the Olympians came down on them swift and hard. Percy was angered that the minor gods and their children still did not get the respect they deserved, having seen the unclaimed campers and minor demigods fight just as hard as the rest of them.

Apparently, with Peter being the son of a minor goddess, his scent was fairly weak so he attracted very few monsters, what little he did he quickly dispatched with his Celestial Bronze knife he kept hidden on himself at all times. A veteran of the titan war, he clearly knew how to handle himself.

"So what are you going to do now Percy?" He asked the legend in front of him.

"Honestly? I have no idea. Probably just wander around for a while, help out where I can. I'm...not ready to go back to camp. Not yet anyway. Besides, the gods are hunting me down, probably wanting to throw me back into Tartarus just for escaping. I definitely know Artemis wants to kill me." Percy said more to himself than Peter.

"Well if you're needing somewhere safe to stay in the mean time, you're always welcome to stay with me. I've only got a little apartment down the street, it's not much but it'll do. I know you can't stay with your family for much longer or else the gods will definitely find you." He said, almost apologetically.

Percy stared at the demigod in front of him, shocked at his sudden generosity. "Seriously? You'd be fine with that?" He asked, a warm feeling of gratitude filling him.

"Of course man! I saw what you did during the Battle of New York, you were a complete beast! It'd be an honour to have you stay with me." Peter grinned. "Of course, there'll be the occasional monster attack to deal with, not all of us are lucky enough to be scentless-" He cut out, horrified at implying that Percy was lucky in his current predicament.

Percy laughed when he saw Peter's eyes bug out of his head. "Don't worry about it, I know what you meant. By the sounds of it, you and me will be more than a match for any monster that...tries to...attack..." The faint sound of screaming outside distracted him, out of the window he could see mortals running, looking back in complete terror.

Standing to his feet quickly, he turned to his family. "Stay in here. Don't come out until I come back for you." Percy told them firmly. He walked to the exit, Peter close on his heels.

"You just had to say something didn't you..." He muttered as he beheld the complete carnage that had erupted in the street. Cars were overturned, fires erupting everywhere. Mortals were fleeing, the mist hiding most of what they saw but whatever they did see was enough to send them running.

Percy recognised the monster in front of him, he had battled it when he was 12 years old on his first quest. Unfortunately, he had ended up falling out of the Arch in St Louis, on fire with poison coursing through his veins.

"Shit...is that the Chimera?" Peter exclaimed, drawing his knife.

"Yeah, I've met him before. Didn't go so well. Watch out for the mouth on its tail, it's highly venomous." Percy warned.

"Noted. So how do you want to do this? Can't you just wave your hand and make it explode?" Peter asked, hoping to all gods that it was possible.

"God no, who do you think I am!?"

"Percy Jackson, champion of Primordials and slayer of Kronos." Peter answered seriously.

"That might be me but I'm afraid I don't work like that, we're going to have to try beat him normally. I'll try keep him distracted while you go around him and try take out the tail. With that gone, it'll be hell of a lot easier."

Peter nodded, his body getting into battle mode; his heart pumped hard, adrenaline rushing through him.

Percy stepped forward and the Chimera turned its large, lion head and roared menacingly. Percy gathered up his power and shot it forward, a huge wave of darkness forming and rushing towards the monster. The wall of shadows slammed into it, sending it flying backwards.

Percy extended his arm, reaching forward into the Void. He withdrew and in his hands, he held...a stick? He cursed and threw the stick at the chimera as hard as he could, achieving nothing more than it bouncing off it's face. Apparently, trying to summon a weapon of Chaos is a lot harder to do when in an actual battle than it is just training, his heart was pumping too wildly and his thoughts were rushing too quickly, unable to concentrate on summoning his double-ended Glaive.

Looking around quickly for a weapon while the Chimera was stunned from being hit in the head with stick (well, more confused than stunned.), Percy's eyes fell onto his tattooed arms. He grinned and suddenly, he was holding onto two long, dangerous black chains that clinked menacingly.

Percy rushed forward, swinging the chain in his right hand forward, snapping it like a whip into the lion's face. It roared in outrage as the chain struck him, leaving a deep cut diagonally across it's left eye. Percy could see Peter around the other side of the beast, dodging and slashing at the snake tail. He was very nimble, dodging every strike of the snake before returning with a slash of his Celestial Bronze dagger, his face set in grim concentration.

Turning his attention back to the Chimera, he swung both his chains across in a horizontal strike. The Chimera ducked but Percy didn't let up, quickly following up with two fast overhead lashes. It barely dodged the first one but the second caught it heavily on the shoulder, causing it to roar in pain and retaliate with a swipe of it's claws.

Percy backflipped away and landed perfectly. He was very accustomed to fighting with his chains, having years of practice down in Tartarus. The Chimera inhaled deeply before firing a torrent of fire directly at Percy. Reacting quickly, he threw up his hands and created a shield made of Void energy, glowing purple and black as the fire struck it.

The Chimera cut off the stream and screamed in agony, a faint yell of triumph coming from behind it. Peter had managed to cut off the snake head, which dissolved into golden sand within seconds.

Faster than either of the demigods could react, the Chimera spun around and slammed its paw into the son of Iris, sending him careening into the side of a building. Percy roared in anger and a shudder passed through him, before a large black and white wolf stood in his place.

Pouncing on the Chimera, his claws dug into the goat body as he sank his long, ivory fangs into the back of the lion's neck. The sound the Chimera made was unearthly, screeching as it tried desperately to fling the wolf off it's neck. Percy held fast, biting down even harder before leaping away, tearing off a chunk of the beast's neck, black blood gushing down its mane.

Percy spat the chunk out of his mouth before turning back into a human, cold fury dancing in his eyes which had turned into their glowing pits of power. The Chimera leaped through the about, desperate to sink it's claws into the demigod. The space around it's body thickened like syrup, the Chimera slowing down to almost a complete halt. Percy, his eyes glowing with a golden light, ran forward and leaping onto it's back once again, this time in his human form as time returned to normal. The Chimera landed before quickly buckling, trying to shake off the demigod. Holding onto the lion mane tightly, Percy concentrated and his hands erupted into black and red flames, Hellfire scorching into it's flesh causing untold agony to the monster.

Sally and Paul came out of the restaurant, unable to wait anymore while their son fought the monster, Andromeda held in her father's arms. The Chimera whirled around, flames billowing out it's mouth, blinded by the pain of the Hellfire. Percy's eye's widened and he screamed as he saw the flames rushing towards his family, staring in horror at the pillar of fire that quickly approached them.

 **-(LINE BREAK)-**

Artemis and her hunters had been hunting for Perseus Jackson for a week now and had so far made, exactly, no progress whatsoever. His lack of scent made it so her hunting wolves could not locate him and he had seemed to learn not to release his power so explosively that they couldn't even find any of his power signatures. Artemis growled in frustration.

While it wasn't uncommon for some of their hunts to last weeks when tracking down monsters, never before had a male evade her for so long. She had expected Perseus to continue using his powers in a way that was easy for her to track, his typical male idiocy leading him to carry on behaving as normal. From what Thalia had told her, Perseus had never been exceptionally bright on most matters.

Thalia. Her Lieutenant hadn't spoken to her properly in a week, neglecting her duties as Lieutenant of the Hunt and failing to report to Artemis every morning. Artemis didn't hold it against her, she knew that Thalia was extremely hurt that she had lied to her, lied to everyone. Not only that, they were now hunting her cousin down, several of the other hunters speaking loudly about how they were going to gut the boy when they found him for daring to attack the hunt.

Whenever Thalia spoke to her, it was always with a cold, robotic tone accompanied with a glare. If she was any other god or goddess, Thalia would have been struck down for her disrespect but Artemis was different, she treated her hunters with the respect they deserve and she knew Thalia deserved to be mad at her.

They were currently camped in Central Park, Artemis was planning on visiting Sally Jackson, the boy's mother, with Thalia. She wanted to ask whether she had heard anything from her son and she knew that she had become a motherly figure to Thalia over the years. Artemis also planned to tell her the truth; she deserved to know that her son was actually alive.

"Thalia, we're going to go visit Sally Jackson." She called to the daughter of Zeus.

Thalia scowled but stood up nevertheless, she had missed Sally. "What are you going to tell her? You gonna tell her that you lied to her about her son? Or are you going to keep lying to her?" She accused the goddess of Maidens.

Artemis sighed. "No Thalia, she deserves to know. You all deserved to know, it was wrong of me to hide it from you." She admitted honestly. Thalia stared at her a little longer before nodding slowly.

"Yeah, it was." Thalia said bluntly.

"I am sorry Thalia, I hope you can forgive me. Are you ready to leave?" Artemis said, sad that her huntress was still angry at her.

Thalia nodded again and stood next to her godly half-sister, ready to teleport. Artemis flashed them into the hallway of Sally Jackson's apartment and knocked on the door. When nobody answered, she knocked again. After 5 minutes, Artemis growled and cocked her leg up before firing it forward, kicking the door open and breaking the lock. Thalia just looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"What? I don't like being kept waiting." She defended.

"Did you not think that maybe the reason they didn't answer is because they're not actually home right now?" Thalia asked incredulously.

"They have a year old daughter, where would they be at this time of night?" Artemis replied frustratedly.

"You're the goddess, you tell me." Thalia snapped back.

Artemis' frustration turned to annoyance at her huntress before fizzling out, knowing that she probably did act without thinking. Using her godly senses, she found that Sally, her daughter and the other one was in a restaurant in the city.

"She is at a restaurant across town. It's only a few blocks away. Come, we'll find them there." Artemis placed her hand on Thalia's shoulder and prepared to flash them away until Thalia cleared her throat loudly, looking pointedly at the now broken door frame. "Ah yes, I, erm, forgot about that." She blushed slightly. Waving her hand, the door was instantly replaced with an identical one, with new sturdier silver locks.

Satisfied, she flashed them into the street outside the restaurant.

Chaos.

The entire street was in complete chaos, fires threatening to spread onto the nearby buildings, the pavement cracked. Mortals ran screaming, covered in dust, trying to get away from the destruction. In the centre of the street was a man clinging to the back of the Chimera, the ancient monster. It had thick cuts that oozed black blood across its face, it's snake tail was completely missing. The Chimera howled in agony, whatever the man was doing was causing some serious harm.

'Whoever that man is, he is certainly putting up a fight.' Artemis thought to herself grudgingly. Movement in the corner of her eye caught Artemis' attention. Sally Jackson emerged from the building with her husband by her side, carrying their terrified daughter.

Artemis watched as the Chimera turned and spewed white hot flames at the family. Suddenly, just before the fires reached them, another figure, also a male, forcefully shoved the family out of the fire's path. Unfortunately, the man wasn't so lucky.

He didn't even get chance to scream as the fires reached him, charring him to a crisp instantly. He had saved Sally and her family, at the expense of his own life.

Artemis watched as the man currently riding the Chimera scream in complete fury before suddenly the Chimera was completely enveloped in red and black flames. Artemis had never seen a power like that one and honestly, the fire terrified her. Looking into it, she felt complete despair overwhelm her mind, so strong she wanted to break down and cry. The voices, screams coming from _inside_ the fire, so loud they echoed around her skull.

Thalia seemed to be experiencing the same thing, falling to her nears with tears rushing down her face. She held her hands over her ears but Artemis knew it was pointless; nothing would get the screams to stop. But then they did. The screams stopped so suddenly it actually left Artemis worried, wondering what horrible torments were coming next. Nothing did. It was over.

The black flames were gone, the Chimera along with it. The man who had previously been on top of it was now stood over where the burnt corpse of his friend laid, desperately placing his hands over the charred flash, both hands glowing with a white light. As Artemis got closer, she heard the man.

"Please, please work, please, he saved them, please work. Work, work, work, WORK, WORK!" He roared before breaking down into tears. Artemis approached and carefully laid her hand on the man's shoulder, who turned to face her with tears streaming down his face.

Perseus Jackson. The man she had been looking for. She should have felt glad that she had finally found him, he had been an annoyance for her for far too long now. Looking at his face, however, she felt nothing but remorse and pity for his heartbroken state.

"Perseus, stop. He's gone, there's nothing anyone can do." She told him gently. His face remained blank as tears continue to fall but the glow in his hands faded.

He took a shuddering breath before standing, instantly brushing past Artemis and heading towards his family. His mother had a large bruise forming on her forehead and Paul held a crying Andy in his arm, doing his best to console his daughter but looked like he was in shock himself. In a split second, Percy had almost lost everything he had left. Percy didn't say a word, just placed a glowing hand on his mother's head and felt the slight drain on his powers as he healed her. He then took his little sister from her father, who immediately wrapped his one arm around his wife, holding her close to him.

Andy threw her little arms around Percy's neck, sobbing as he held her in a close embrace, tears still flowing. He stayed there, hugging his sister, making silent promises that he would never come that close to losing her again.

Artemis watched the family's tender interactions, a respectful distance away. She glanced over and saw Thalia still sat silently on the ground, eyes red as she stared into space, a hollow look in her eyes. She walked over and crouched down next to her Lieutenant, before tentatively wrapping her in a hug. Thalia didn't return it, just leaning into the hug and breathed a deep, shuddering breath.

Percy had finally stopped crying, the sadness gone and anger took it's place once more. Why couldn't he have reacted faster? He could have put up a barrier around his parents as soon as he saw them, create a wall of Void energy to block the fire like he had done earlier. Instead he had hesitated, frozen in shock while his parents almost died. If not for Peter, Percy would have never seen his mother, stepfather or baby sister smile again, or cry, or do anything. Gone.

Peter, the son of Iris, was dead. And it was Percy's fault. At that moment, Percy hated himself more than anything else. He hated himself more than the gods, more than his father. Hell, he hated himself more than he hated Kronos.

Percy looked over at Artemis and was shocked to see her comforting Thalia. He was confused for a second before he realised. The Hellfire. By pumping so much of his power into the Hellfire, he had almost driven his cousin insane.

'Great, another reason to hate myself.' Percy thought angrily. He quickly walked over to the daughters of Zeus, his sister still held in his arms. Andy had cried herself out until she had fallen asleep in his arms.

Artemis glanced at Perseus and he was surprised to see no hatred in his eyes, only pity. She carefully unwrapped her arms from around Thalia and Percy sat down next to his cousin slowly. His sister in his left arm, he wrapped his right around Thalia's shoulders.

She looked at Percy, her eyes empty as she stared at him before a flicker of recognition shot through them. She laid her head on his shoulder and began to cry softly. Percy just sat holding the two girls, doing his best not to start crying again. It had been an emotional day and honestly, he was just glad to have his cousin back. Eventually, Thalia's tears stopped but she stayed leaning on Percy.

"I love you, Percy. Please don't leave me again." Thalia said softly in his ear.

Percy was shocked at his cousin's sudden affection before shaking it off and answering. "I won't Thals, I'm back now. I love you too."

A small smile appeared on her face before she slowly stood to her feet. Artemis watched the two's small interaction, glad that Perseus had managed to bring Thalia back from whatever dark place in her mind she had retreated to. Percy glanced at Artemis before walking back over to his parents, who were stood next to each other with Paul's arm over Sally's shoulders, her own arms wrapped around his waist.

"He saved us Paul. He was only a child and he died for us." Sally sobbed into her husband's chest, feeling overwhelming gratitude for the deceased son of Iris.

"I know Sally, I know. He was a hero, we owe him everything." Paul whispered back.

Percy watched his parents share their moment before clearing his throat. Both their heads turned and Sally let out a huge sob and dove forward, pulling her children into a tight hug while still careful not to wake the sleeping Andy. Percy hugged his mother back as best as he could, rubbing her back with his one hand while his other arm carried his sister.

Pulling away, Percy gave his sister to his mother. He turned to Paul and the two men wrapped their arms around each other.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't stop it in time. I'm glad you're okay...dad." Percy muttered. Paul only hugged his son closer. After a few more seconds, they broke off the hug, tears glistening in both men's eyes.

Percy knew what he had to do. He looked over at Peter's burnt body and flinched before concentrating. A beautiful purple shroud glowed into existence around the body, a beautiful rainbow stretching across it. A shroud for the son of Iris. Percy looked over at Artemis and she got the message, snapping her fingers and the flames appeared around the shroud.

Percy watched until the body had completely burnt away, knowing he will never be able to repay his friend. He had only known him for a few hours but in that short time, he had shown Percy a kindness and generosity that shocked him, praising himself as a hero. Percy knew however, that Peter was the real hero. Percy was just the guy who got him killed.

He sighed, knowing what came next. "Mum...dad...I need to go to Olympus with Artemis. I've been away for too long." He told them, watching as their faces changed into different expressions: Sally looked angry; Paul looked proud.

His mother opened her mouth, no doubt to try convince him not to, but Paul laid a hand on his wife's arm.

"He has to go back Sally. Our son is a hero. If Percy says he needs to go back, then he needs to go back. We trust him." He told her gently. Sally looked ready to argue before sagging, giving in.

"Okay...Percy please just...be careful. If any of those damned immortals even think about trying to hurt you again, I'll tear down Olympus brick by brick." She swore and Percy knew that she meant every word.

"Don't worry mum, I'm not going anywhere. There's too much for me to do." Percy promised.

Sally nodded stiffly before sending a fierce glare at the moon goddess standing a few feet behind Percy. Artemis swallowed thickly, knowing she had lost the woman's respect. She should have told her the truth about her son, and now here she was, ready to drag him straight back into the lion's den.

Percy was exhausted, feeling drained both physically and emotionally. He wanted nothing more than to just go back with his family to their apartment, fall into his own bed and sleep for days. However, Percy knew that the day wasn't over yet, despite it now being close to midnight.

Percy walked over to the goddess of maidens and her Lieutenant. He gave Thalia a small smile which she returned, her eyes starting to regain some of their glimmer. When Percy looked at Artemis, he stiffened slightly, an ugly feeling building in his chest. He glared at her tiredly before standing next to her.

"Okay then, oh mighty goddess of the hunt, take us to Olympus." He said sarcastically, not really in the mood for dealing with the Olympian.

Artemis scowled at his words. "You do not make demands to me, boy." She said coldly. Despite all Perseus had been through, she could not handle a male disrespecting her without her retaliating.

Percy, undeterred by her frosty words, raised an eyebrow. "So you don't want to take me to Olympus?"

Artemis growled before roughly placing her hands on the demigod's shoulder and flashing away. Sally and Paul looked on sadly, Andy still sleeping softly in her mother's arms, knowing their son had just gone to war.

 ** _(Meanwhile, in the Void)_**

The council of Primordials was gathered, watching the scenes unfold before them.

"The boy is growing powerful." Erebus remarked.

"Yes, not powerful enough though. He will have to become much stronger if he is to beat our family." Nyx commented.

"He'll get there." Chaos said. "There is time and he is strong. He will only grow more powerful with time, he'll be ready."

"What I want to know is, how did this even happen?" Pontus asked. "The boy barely has a scent, the other demigod, the son of Iris, was not strong enough to have attracted such a powerful monster. How did the Chimera even find the two anyway? And so quickly? He meets another demigod and barely an hour later, one of the strongest monsters has found them."

Hemera paled as she realised the truth. "Oh no...we did this." She exclaimed.

The entire council looked at her confused apart from Chaos as she also came to the same conclusion.

"Oh dear, how did we manage to overlook this?" Chaos muttered to herself.

"We didn't." Ananke spoke calmly.

"You realised this before and you didn't stop it?" Hemera asked incredulously.

"I knew from the beginning. I knew what giving our power to him would do. We just have to trust that Perseus will be strong enough to face the threats that come for him." Ananke stated, still just as calm.

"Is someone going to fill the rest of us in?" Chronos asked confusedly.

"Yeah that would really help." Eros nodded.

"By giving Perseus our powers, we increased the aura of power that surrounds him." Chaos explained. "It seems, that when Perseus' aura interacts with the scent of demigods, it acts as an amplifier."

"Oh dear god, no..." Eros paled.

Chaos only nodded grimly. "Just being around Perseus is dangerous. He may barely have a scent of his own now but he acts like a radio tower for demigod scents. He broadcasts them. That is why the Chimera was there. It wasn't there for Perseus, it was there for the other demigod; Perseus had unknowingly boosted the boy's scent tenfold, its a wonder that only one monster picked up on it."

"He's a danger to all of them..." Pontus muttered. "All the demigods he meets, he puts them in danger. He essentially doomed that boy from the minute he met him."

"Percy must be strong enough to face any challenge." Ananke said firmly.

"And what of the other demigods!? Perseus is not the one in danger, they are! He'll get every stray demigod he finds, killed." Erebus said agitatedly.

"No, he won't. Our champion is a hero with a heart of gold. He will not leave the others to fend for themselves." Ananke responded. "The gods will realise this soon enough and Perseus will be informed. He will know from then on and will take extra precautions to keep his fellow demigods safe."

Chronos shook his head in disbelief. "Baby, you _know_ I support you on most decisions, lord knows you're usually right about everything, but don't you think you should have told Perseus about this _before_ he returned to the world?" He asked his wife.

"If we had done, Percy would have retreated into a life of isolation away from all demigods, worrying he is endangering those around him." Nyx defended her sister, understanding her decision to remain silent.

"Technically, he is endangering them." Erebus muttered.

"What's done is done, there is nothing we can do. We cannot interfere." Chaos interrupted, ignoring her eldest son. "He may now be more dangerous to be around but so what? It's not like the young hero didn't attract trouble as it was." Chaos said with a slight chuckle.

"But the demigods-" Hemera started but was cut off by her mother.

"The demigods will be fine. Perseus will protect them." She said confidently.

Hemera sighed before they all returned their attention back to their champion. "I hope you're right, mother. I hope you're right..."

* * *

 **Another chapter, here you are my lads and ladies. Sorry for the late update, I've had a bit of shit to deal with lately. Real world stuff. Had a lot on my plate. Anyway, I hope you liked my chapter!**

 **There is something I would like to clear up first. A lot of people are seeming to expect Percy be on a godly level already, able to handle any situation that is thrown at him with minimal effort. To that, I say, if you don't like my take on my story, don't read it. Simple as. Percy isn't a god, he is still technically a demigod. While he might have the capabilities of god level power, he doesn't just get to jump straight there without putting in the blood, sweat and tears.**

 **If you're wanting a story where Percy becomes the most powerful individual on the planet over night, then you're probably looking in the wrong place. My story will have Percy working towards mastering his powers, I actually already feel like I'm overdoing his control a little too much. He's had these world changing powers for all of 4 weeks now, with 8 new powers, not including being able to turn into a wolf, and people seem to be expecting him to to have mastered each and every one of them in** ** _4 weeks_** **.**

 **Anyway, sorry about that, rant over.**

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 **Review time!**

 **redlox2: Romans will be in this story, might be a while away or it might be within a chapter or two, I'm not quite sure when to introduce them yet. Percy will not be part of the 7 but he may end up travelling with them anyway. He controls his own fate, he goes where he pleases.**

 **Neonlyphe: Glad you like the Hermes love. He's not going to technically be 'joining' the hunt, he still does not like Artemis at all. He may be travelling with them for small periods but bare in mind Percy can open portals through space. If he wanted, he could chill out on a beach until someone I.M's him and he'll be there instantly to defend the hunt. He will most definitely NOT become a slave of the hunt.**

 **jfrost22792: Again, he won't be a true 'guardian of the hunt', just someone who helps out from time to time. The Pertemis pairing probably won't even be close to happening for another few chapters, at the moment Percy still hates most of the gods, including Artemis.**

 **budhayes: Don't you worry bud, the time skip is looking less and less likely to happen. I completely agree with what you're saying, if you make him some super warrior who's ready to take on the Primordials from day one, what's the point in reading the rest of the stuff? Obviously, nothing is a challenge for him anymore.**

 **williamjamesephillips: Honestly, who wouldn't feel better after turning their annoyances into small animals and hunting them down with a bow and arrow?**

 **Guest: I've been seeing this a lot, especially with the Percy x Thalia suggestion. To me, Percy and Thalia have a sibling bond, one I aim to fully develop in time. As for the whole, Artemis doing the unforgivable thing, I aim to get Percy in a place where he is comfortable enough to let go of the past. If you haven't read it before, I'd recommend checking out "That Color Silver" by Pluto's Daughter 11 (PRAISE THE QUEEN!). That story has Percy and Artemis completely despise each other at the beginning but eventually blossoming into love, it's honestly one of the best stories I've ever read. Then again, most of her stories are at that level, I'd recommend reading all of them if you haven't already.**

 **Death Fury: Cheers friend, I dunno about Hestia and Hades blessing him already because that happens pretty often and I'm trying to avoid** ** _too_** **many** **cliché's being used. Just ignore the fact that Percy has been betrayed, been sent to Tartarus, blessed by Primordials and will eventually have to deal with the hunt at some point (*sweats nervously*). And as for Hermes, just you wait. Not quite a blessing, something similar.**

 **Pineapplesrock: Thanks for the nice words, sorry about dropping the ball a little on updates, heh heh.**

 **The YoLOMan: I swear, I live for your reviews. Don't apologise for gushing! I love gushing! More people should gush, makes me all tingly. Not in a sexual way of course... Anyway! A little bit more Percy/Thalia development here, hope you liked it. This chapter was a bit of a kick in the feels to be honest. I'm honoured to be in your favourite author list, just tell who those other sluts are on your list and I'll deal with them...I kid. Thanks for the love bro!**

 **Tobias97: Thanks for the constant support!**

 **Guest: Thank you so much, wow. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though, those classics are on like a whole other level. Seriously, I can only dream about getting to that level of story.**

 **DioblosSpawn: Glad you're liking the story! You'll see the rest of the gods next chapter.**

 **Perseus Jackson Rules: Camp half-blood's reaction may be a little down the line but its certainly coming. And about the Pertemis, I'm a big lover of the pairing, it's easily my favourite I just had to go for it. Yes, Artemis has some pretty drastic flaws but c'mon man, the eternal virgin. Only joking. A big part of Percy's personality will be his conflict in letting go of the past and to me, being with Artemis would be the resolution of that. Not for a while though.**

 **plums: Damn son, a chum!? Percy would be insulted at your harsh words. Them be fighting words. Again, he's going to have to work on his powers, he's had them for all of 4 weeks so obviously he's not going to be just diving into fights to test himself when he could very easily just get away. Despite what people say, Percy isn't a fucking idiot. With this level of power, its difficult writing him to a god's level while still keeping him human. Humans struggle sometimes, even actually fail completely. But they learn and they improve and that's what I want from Percy. Just because he's got all this power, doesn't mean he's not still just a teenager. Can't expect him to do everything and save everyone.**

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 **Thanks for reviewing! If you've enjoyed, I'd very much welcome a Follow or Favourite, maybe even both if you're feeling a little cheeky. I won't tell if you don't *winks*.**

 **Peace out my friends.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N: I think it's getting a little bad that my usual upload time has become 4am where I am...Oh well I guess, who needs sleep anyway?**

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 **Chapter 5**

 **Third person's POV**

Percy, Thalia and Artemis appeared on Olympus in a flash of silver light. Percy instantly stiffened, looking around at the godly palace. While it looked different from before the titan war, he still recognised that they were stood just outside the throne room.

"You've had some work done." Percy commented dryly.

"Yes, most of Olympus was destroyed when Kronos attacked." Artemis replied shortly.

"I know. I was there. Only for a while, then I was somewhere warmer. How did that happen again Arty?" He hissed with a smirk, although it didn't reach his eyes. His eyes only showed pain and hatred for the goddess.

Artemis ignored his comment and carried on. "We had to name a new Architect for the remodelling of Olympus after the war. Most of us have liked what she has done so far."

"Backstabbing bitch." Thalia muttered angrily. "Essentially betrays the gods' and ended up being rewarded anyway."

Percy instantly knew who the new Architect was. Annabeth. A deep growl came from his throat before glaring at Artemis once again.

"So are we doing this, or what?"

Artemis glared straight back before walking to the huge, golden double doors and pushing. Instantly, they swung wide open and Artemis marched through. Percy and Thalia glanced at each other, their eyebrows raised, before following. 'Someone's cranky' Percy thought with a small chuckle.

The throne room was empty apart from the trio. Artemis grew to her godly height and sat on her throne before summoning her bow and unleashing a glowing, silver arrow into the sky, exploding into light. Straight away, gods began to flash into the throne room, all of them taking note of the two demigods stood before them with shock on their faces. Some, such as Demeter and Hephaestus, had the decency to look guilty. Poseidon was practically dancing in his throne, a wide smile on his face which angered Percy beyond all belief.

All of the gods were shocked at Percy's transformation. Gone was the slightly scrawny teenager, with sea green eyes and pure, raven-black hair. In his place, stood a tall, muscular man with eyes that glowed many different colours, all swirling together in a whirlwind of power. All of the goddesses couldn't help but also noticed how his face had become a lot more attractive and handsome, perfect cheekbones with a strong jaw like and chiselled lips. Aphrodite was positively drooling at the sight of him while the others, except for Artemis, had a slight golden blush on their faces.

A huge bolt of lightning struck the centre of the throne room, illuminating it in a dazzling light. When it faded, Zeus stood in the centre. Always one for a dramatic entrance. Once all the gods had gathered, Zeus glared at the young man in front of him.

"Demigod, you have been brought before the council today so you may answer a few of our questions, primarily, how you managed to escape from Tartarus and where you got your new powers from." He boomed.

"Erm, no. First thing's first, I came here willingly. I wasn't 'brought' here today, I came on my own choosing." Percy stated, already tired of Zeus' bullshit. "Second, is that it? You all decide to fuck me over and then seem to expect me to just be okay with it?" Percy grew more and more angry as he spoke, his aura flickering around him dangerously and his eyes darkening, causing Thalia to back away hesitantly, not wanting him to bring back the screaming fire. She shuddered as she recalled the feelings the fire had planted inside of her. Or maybe it didn't, maybe she had those already inside of her, the fire merely calling to them. Either way, she certainly wasn't wanting a repeat of it.

"Son, we admit we made a mistake, just please-" Poseidon said, trying to calm his son down.

"DO _NOT_ CALL ME YOUR SON, POSEIDON!" Percy roared, his eyes pulsing with raw power. "You gave up that right when you abandoned me and tossed me aside like I was nothing!"

Poseidon looked down into his lap sadly, knowing he was right. Hermes watched in satisfaction as Poseidon finally realised that he had pushed his former son too far.

"Let me get one thing clear. I'm not here to make amends with _anyone_ , you all burnt that bridge when you sentenced me to hell for doing NOTHING! Wait no, for SAVING you all!" Percy said quietly, white hot fury lacing his words.

"Then why did you come here Perseus?" Hera asked the demigod.

Percy scowled. "There's a war coming. We need time to prepare and I can't exactly do that properly with you guys hunting me down like a dog, and the demigods need preparing as well. You'll be facing multiple Primordials, all of them trying to rise on Earth."

All the gods paled heavily. "How do you know this?" Athena asked, shocked at the sheer size of the threat.

"The Primordials freed me from Tartarus after _YOU_ all sent me there. They-"

Zeus shot to his feet, his master bolt in hand. "TRAITOR! I knew we did the right thing by sending you to Tartarus, you have sided with our enemies!" He screamed, paranoia clouding his thoughts.

"Sit down, father, and let him explain." Artemis called out tiredly.

"That's ironic, coming from you." Hermes laughed coldly.

"I didn't join anyone." Percy said hotly. "If you would listen to me, WITHOUT jumping to conclusions, I'll explain to you. If you can manage that, I know it's not worked so great in the past." He sneered. Many of the gods flinched but didn't disagree with him.

Zeus cautiously sat back in his throne but his bolt remained in his lap, ready to use at the slightest notion of betrayal.

"I was in Tartarus for 3 years. I managed to escape 4 weeks ago, on...hang on, I escaped on my birthday. I spent 3 years _exactly_ in Tartarus. Imagine that." Percy said more to himself before getting back on track. "Anyway, I was there for 3 years until eventually Tartarus found me and freed me."

"AHA! He admits to it! He consorts with Tartarus himself!" Zeus yelled.

"Yes, I do." Percy growled. "But Tartarus is not one of the threats. He took me to the throne room of the Primordials and they-"

"Where is that?" Athena interrupted, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Percy glared at the goddess of wisdom, annoyed at being interrupted again. "Really? Does that really matter?" He asked scathingly.

Athena, however, was too proud to back down. "I wish to know, demigod. Remember your place when you stand before the Olympian council." She said coldly.

Percy looked unimpressed and just flipped her the bird. Athena gasped at the blatant disrespect and started to rise from her throne before a wave of power pushed her back into it, courtesy of Hermes.

"Moving along with the story, Perce." Hermes said to the demigod with a smile. Percy had no issues with Hermes and nodded his thanks, a smile playing on his lips.

"If you would all like to stop interrupting me, I might be able to eventually tell you all everything." Percy snarled at the gods. "Tartarus took me to the Primordial council and they told me of the threat that we face. Some of the Primordials had turned against their family and are attempting to rise on Earth to replace you all in their seat of power. Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with that if it wasn't for the fact that the Primordials would probably end up wiping out the rest of the planet, so it looks like you guys are the lesser of two evils. The remaining Primordials on the council blessed me with their powers so that I may have a larger role to play during the war." The gods gasped, immediately trying to figure out just how powerful the man before them truly was.

"A-all of them?" Demeter stuttered.

"Well, the ones who aren't trying to destroy the world." Percy nodded stiffly, still uncomfortable at being back in this godforsaken throne room.

"Who's the threat, Perce?" Apollo asked nervously. Percy nodded his head in greeting at the sun god before answering.

"Gaia is trying to rise, alongside her is Ourea, Ouranos and Aether."

More gasps echoed through the throne room, nervousness spreading like wildfire.

"How are we meant to fight against 4 Primordial beings!" Hera exclaimed, her skin was ghastly pale.

"Apparently, my abilities are meant to continue to grow with time. The others seemed to think I'd be strong enough to face them when the time comes." Percy said uncomfortably, not really believing he'll ever become strong enough to put him on an equal playing field with a Primordial god.

Ares barked out a laugh. "They can't be that tough, if this runt is going to fight them." The god of war sneered. Percy released his hold on his aura, something he had been holding back since his first encounter with the hunters, and the gods were dumbfounded at the amount of power that was rolling off of him in waves.

Zeus was shocked at the aura. His powers already that of a minor god's, after just 4 weeks of training. Nodding slowly to himself, Zeus moved as fast as lightning and flung his bolt at the stunned demigod in front of him.

Percy's eyes widened before he quickly drew upon his power and projected an immensely powerful shield in front of him. Percy closed his eyes, waiting to feel the vast drain on his powers, but was shocked when it never came. In front of his glowing purple barrier, there was a larger one made out of a mixture of colours which had absorbed the blast.

Percy was even more shocked when Apollo, Hermes and surprisingly Artemis cried out, falling to their knees, paying a heavy toll on their godly power deflecting the master bolt.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Zeus asked, outraged. "This boy cannot be allowed to live, he has too much power! He could turn against Olympus at any minute!"

The fallen god's slowly got to their feet, all of them swaying slightly. "I didn't spend all this time hunting him down just to have you smite him, father." Artemis said through gritted teeth. "By the sounds of it, we will need his help in the coming times." The words felt like acid in her mouth, having to admit that she, along with the others, would need the help of a male. A mortal, no less.

"Stop being so paranoid, dad. If Percy was going to turn against Olympus, he would have done it the moment you all turned your backs on him." Apollo told him, glaring slightly.

"Besides, I thought the plan was to _apologise_ to Perseus, not turn him into ash. Also, I think he deserves something from us, a reward for his actions in the titan war." Hera cut across.

"I can already think of a few ideas." Aphrodite winked.

Percy just stared at her in disgust. "No thanks, not interested in a treacherous whore. Can't even stay faithful to your husband for longer than a day. That, and the fact you sent me to hell. I don't think you'll like what you find beneath these clothes." Percy joked, although his voice lacked all humour, only venom.

"What do you mean Percy?" Poseidon asked worriedly.

"I spent 3 years in the worst place imaginable. It wasn't exactly a vacation." Percy responded sarcastically.

"Maybe I can help, Perce. If I can take a look, I may be able to heal you." Apollo offered.

"Thanks Apollo, but it's no use. The Primordials already tried. Wounds in Tartarus are not meant to be healed."

"What happened to you?" Thalia asked sadly. She had been quiet for so long, some of the gods had clearly begun to forget she was even there.

Percy face went dangerously blank. "Too much." He said stonily.

Hera looked at Zeus and it was clear from her expression what she wanted him to do.

Zeus cleared his throat uncomfortably before speaking. "Perseus I, ah, understand that we should probably apologise for our actions against you." He grumbled unhappily. "We were w-wr-wrong in our treatment of you." Zeus was really struggling. "In exchange, we offer you the gift of immortality, so that you may serve Olympus loyally for all-"

"No thanks." Percy cut across. "I'm already immortal. And I most certainly do not want anything you can give me. I do have a few requests though, you owe me as much."

The gods were shocked, once again, to find that Percy was already immortal. "What are your requests?" Artemis asked curiously.

Percy looked around before answering. "First, call Hades and Hestia here. They should be here for this."

"Absolutely not! They are not council members and I will absolutely not call Hades to Olympus!" Zeus bellowed. Hera glared pointedly at her husband before he conceded. He waved his hand, lightning flashing through the sky, and a few moments later, the shadows seemed to gather in the corner of the room and Hades stepped forward. At the same time, the Hearth seemed to glow a little brighter as Hestia appeared in a flash of flames, in her usual 8 year old form.

Hades looked completely flabbergasted to see his nephew standing in the throne room while Hestia quickly approached him and wrapped the demigod in a soft embrace.

"Welcome back, Perseus." She whispered in his ear.

Percy gave the goddess a small smile. He turned back to the Olympians who had been watching impatiently.

"Well? Are you going to tell us your request after making me summon these two?" Zeus asked grumpily.

"First, swear on the River Styx that you'll abide by my terms. They're not even hard, I just want to be sure you don't fuck me over again." Percy told them bitterly.

Zeus sighed before speaking. "Fine, we swear on the River Styx to grant your wishes, as long as they are reasonable." Thunder rumbled ominously, accepting the oath.

"There are actually 4 parts to my wish. The first-"

"Now hold on, we didn't say-" Zeus tried but was completely ignored.

"-is that you grant amnesty to the minor gods who sided with the titans during the war. The times ahead will be difficult enough, without their full support, we don't stand a chance. The second is that cabins be built at Camp Half-Blood, for all the gods, both major and minor. I know Nico deserves his own cabin, as well as the children of the minor gods. You must all also claim all your children by the age of 13. For too long, demigods have been made to feel unwanted and unloved by their parents, being left on the streets, facing monsters they do not know how to fight."

All of the gods were surprised at the requests. Only a few had problems with this, namely Apollo and Aphrodite, but they were swiftly silenced by some well placed arrows from Artemis.

"And for your last two requests?" Athena asked curiously.

"Hades and Hestia. They deserve thrones, here on Olympus." There was immediate uproar but Percy ignored all that, focusing on the looks of complete gratitude being given by the two named immortals.

"Percy, you ask too much of us." Poseidon said doubtfully.

"You sent me to Tartarus after I saved your asses." Percy snarled. "You owe me this."

Most of the gods shifted uncomfortably in their thrones, knowing he was probably right. Zeus gave one final sigh before waving his hand, creating two new thrones in the room. One was made out of living flames, appearing on the end next to Artemis' throne. Hades' throne was made of black marble, with bones and gemstones gathered around the base; a human skull above the headrest. Apollo leaned away from the throne slightly, feeling slightly unnerved by the cold aura it was giving off.

Hestia wrapped Perseus in another tight hug. "Thank you so much Perseus." She muttered to him.

"It's just Percy, my lady." He muttered back. Hestia laughed quietly.

"Then it's just Hestia, Percy."

Hades approached his nephew and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I can never repay you for what you have done for me today, Perseus. You will always be welcomed in the Underworld and by the house of Hades. You have done he a great service." His black eyes gleamed with joy.

"It's no worry, uncle. You've been denied this for far too long, I'm just trying to right some old wrongs." Hades nodded before walking over and taking a seat in his new throne.

"Is that all, or does anyone have anything to add to this meeting?" Zeus asked tiredly.

"Actually father, there is one thing." Artemis quickly said as Zeus quietly groaned. "I would like to know how I was not able to track Perseus' scent." She directed towards the demigod.

"Simple. I don't have one." Percy said bluntly.

"What? Impossible, all demigods have a scent." Athena countered. Percy glared slightly before correcting himself.

"Well, technically I have a scent that identifies myself as a demigod but I do not have a godly parent anymore." He paused to glare at Poseidon, who looked down in shame. "This means that my scent is basically gone. A monster would have to have my head practically in it's jaws before it could even realise I was a demigod."

"If that is true, how did the Chimera find you?"

Percy hesitated; he hadn't thought about that before. "I'm not sure, it must have detected P-Peter's, although how, I'm not too sure. His aura wasn't particularly strong, not enough to bother attracting such a powerful monster. In fact, now that I think about it, the odds of the Chimera being there..." He trailed off when he detected something strange in the throne room. He turned around but the only person who was there was Thalia.

"...what? Why are you staring at me like that? Have I got something on my face?" Thalia rubbed her face and ran her hands through her hair, paranoid. Surprisingly, the last person Percy expected to, was the first to notice the peculiar feeling.

"Your scent, Tanya. It's been increased, pretty extensively actually." Dionysus said dryly, not at all bothered by the revelation.

"WHAT!? Why!? Why would you do this?" Thalia yelled, staring at the gods accusingly.

"We didn't, Theresa. Whatever is doing this, it isn't us." Dionysus replied, bored.

"Well if it isn't you, then who..." Thalia realised at the same time Percy did.

"It's me..." He muttered, shocked. "I don't know how but I'm doing this."

All the gods looked thoughtful for a second before Athena gasped. "Perseus! Reduce your aura as much as you possibly can. Thalia, step as far away from him as possible." Confused, the demigods did so (Percy unhappily muttering about ordered around by the gods) and after a few minutes, Thalia's scent weakened slightly, still extremely heightened just less so.

"Care to explain to the rest of us who aren't all super geniuses, Athena?" Demeter said.

"The boy is a blasted beacon." Hephaestus answered for her. "However he is doing it, his aura is seeming to interact with the girl's scent, amplifying it like a radio tower."

Percy frowned deeply. "What? I'm not doing anything! Are you saying that by just being around me, I'm causing Thalia to attract more mon-" He cut out, turning deathly white. "Oh dear gods, I killed him."

Artemis quickly realised what he meant. The other demigod, the son of Iris, had his scent boosted by Perseus, resulting in the Chimera finding them. She instantly felt pity for the male, he had placed his friend in danger without even realising it and now the boy was dead. "He's a danger to our children!" Ares shouted, standing while drawing his huge sword. However, Percy didn't even react, he was too distracted with his guilt and remorse to notice anything. The other gods all started shouting, completely unaware of everything.

Peter had died saving Percy's family, all because Percy had been too slow to react; too slow in killing the Chimera. Too slow. Now, Percy realised they were only in that situation in the first place because of Percy. Percy had amplified Peter's scent and he paid the price. Percy had killed him.

Torrents of memories rushed through his mind causing him to gasp sharply, his vision flickering between the throne room and-

 _His cell. Kronos loomed over him, laughing maniacally as he brought his hand down again and again on Percy's chest, the knife glinting evilly in the faint, red light. Percy screamed as-_

Cuts appeared on his body, his own shadows lashing at him. Percy moaned in pain, his eyes hollow, staring emptily into nothingness as Thalia screamed, drawing the attention of the gods. They all watched in horror as-

 _Kronos screamed insults at him as he stabbed him over and over. "You are useless! Do you hear me? No one wants you! Tell me, WHAT YOU ARE!"_

" _Useless." Percy screamed as the knife cut his flesh._

" _WHO WANTS YOU!"_

" _No one."_

 _Kronos laughed, continuing to slash his knife across the demigods skin. He leaned closer and-_

Artemis ran towards the man, desperately trying to stop whatever was happening.

"PERSEUS! What in Hades name are you doing!?" She roared directly in his face but failed to get a response. His fists were clenched tightly, small moans of pain escaping his lips as the shadows tore him apart.

"APOLLO!" She screamed, turning to her brother for support. Luckily, Apollo was already moving, overcoming his shock and quickly reaching his sisters side, the other gods remaining on their thrones. Apollo grabbed the demigod's blue shirt and tore it off his body unceremoniously. What he saw shocked him, the vast array of scars that covered his chest made him feel sick.

"Dear Chaos, what did we do..." Poseidon whispered, horrified.

Now, they could see exactly what the shadows were doing. Each strike was reopening his scars with surgical precision.

"PERCY! LISTEN MAN, YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP!" Apollo yelled at the demigod as he poured healing energy into his body. However, with every cut he managed to seal, Apollo could see another two already opening.

"PERCE, YOU HAVE GOT TO-

" _FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!" The arena cheered as Percy fought against dozens of monsters with his bare hands, their claws and fangs raking across his body but he continued fighting. Looking across the arena, Percy saw his old friend, the Minotaur, lower his head and charge towards him. Breathing heavily, Percy prepared to dodge to the side until a small hellhound sunk it's jaws into his thigh, causing him to-_

Scream in agony, a purple light filled his vision and Percy was back in the throne room. He blinked, staring at Apollo's worried face with the gods behind him. Artemis was stood to one side, staring at him as she did her best to comfort Thalia.

Percy coughed, blood spewing from his lips, multiple wounds covering his body, exactly mirroring the ones he received in his flashbacks. Apollo was still doing his best to heal him and Percy decided to help. He concentrated on his wounds and poured his powers outwards, white light starting to glow out of each wound. The gods watched in awe as slowly, the wounds sealed until nothing remained but the large, jagged white scars that marred his body.

Percy's legs gave out from underneath him, too drained from using his powers to even stand. Luckily, Apollo reacted quickly and caught him, leaning the demigod on himself so he could take most of the weight. Percy sagged heavily against the sun god, his breathing laboured and his vision blurry. Apollo put something in his hands that took him a few seconds to recognise as Ambrosia, the food of the gods. Stuffing it into his mouth, Percy moaned as he felt some strength return to his limbs, the taste of his mother's homemade blue cookies filling his mouth.

"Thanks." He muttered tiredly to Apollo. The gods just stared in horror at what they had just witnessed.

"Percy, what was that?" Hestia asked sadly.

Percy shrugged, his jaw still feeling numb and heavy. "I don't know. I've had flashbacks before, but I've never woke up from them with actual wounds before. What happened?" He winced, feeling the soreness in his body.

"Your own powers, they started attacking you. I've never seen anything like that before, your shadows were using your scars like the dotted 'cut here' lines!" Apollo exclaimed.

Percy shuddered. "I didn't even realise. I was back there completely, I didn't even realise it was a flashback. It felt real."

"Perseus...the style of cuts that were appearing and patterning of your scars are all corresponding with..." Hades started.

"Torture." Ares finished, his voice harsh and gruff.

"Who did this to you Perseus? I swear, I'll tear them apart piece by piece!" Poseidon roared, his trident in hand.

"You want to know who to blame for this? For all these scars? YOU! ALL OF YOU! What do you think? Do you like your handiwork? It may have been the titans would wielded the tools but all of this? It's your fault." Percy spat at the gods who all looked at him shamefully. "What do you think, Aphrodite? You still wanting to give me that special reward you were talking about?" He sneered at the goddess. Her eyes travelled to his scarred body before flinching and looking away, guilt gnawing away at her being.

"That's what I thought. Take a good look, take it all in. You want me to swear on the Styx never to betray Olympus? I'll do it. Not for you, for my _family_ who, unlike you all, never turned their backs on me. They hold my allegiance, as well as Hades, Hestia, Apollo and Hermes. The rest of you, you're dead to me." Percy said quietly, pure hatred and disgust coating his words.

Percy pulled the Void in close and created new clothes over his bare chest and tattered trousers. A simple, dark grey t-shirt with long sleeves to cover his scarred arms and a new pair of simple jeans. The effort nearly made Percy stumble again but he stood strong, not wanting to show weakness in front of the gods.

Percy turned around, giving Apollo a slight nod which he returned, and marched towards the moon goddess and her Lieutenant. Thalia punched him on the arm hard, a fierce scowl on her face.

"You stupid idiot." She gnashed her teeth. "You scared the Hades out of me."

"Hey! Can people stop using my name as a curse!?"

"Sorry Thals, if it's any consolation, I didn't know that would happen." Percy tried weakly.

"And what if it had happened and Apollo wasn't here? What if it happens when you're on your own and you kill yourself?" Thalia growled but Percy could see the tears in her eyes and staining her cheeks.

Percy grabbed her and pulled her in close. Thalia resisted for a second, slamming her fists into his chest weakly until giving up, resting her head against him.

"Only been back for half a day and you've succeeded in making me cry twice." She murmured. "Gods, I'm going soft."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone if you don't." Percy whispered back jokingly.

Thalia laughed lightly before fixing him with a half-hearted glare. She punched him in the shoulder again, this time her fist charged with electricity. Percy gasped for a second before looking at her incredulously.

"What the Hades, Thalia!" His voice raising.

"I swear, if people don't stop using my name like that..."

Thalia just smirked at him, quickly reverting back to her old self. "I've got to get some of my credibility back somehow. I've got a reputation you know."

Percy shook his head, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. He mood quickly soured when he noticed Artemis watching them curiously.

"Can I help you with something?" Percy asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Artemis bristled. "I was just making sure you didn't touch my Lieutenant inappropriately, that's all." Artemis glared at him accusingly.

Percy gave one look at Thalia and snorted. "Yeah, right. As if Thalia is good enough for my standards." He said cockily.

"HEY!"

Percy quickly danced away from the enraged daughter of Zeus, laughing loudly.

Poseidon watched in sadness. He had really messed up. He abandoned his son when he needed him the most and supported sending his son to torture. Even death would have been a kindness in comparison to what he had been through. The image of Percy's scarred body was seared onto his mind, making him feel sick. He knew Perseus was right; the gods were responsible for each and every one of those scars. He felt unfathomable sadness and disgust in himself before dissolving into sea-breeze, retreating to his underwater city of Atlantis so he can wallow in his self-hatred.

Zeus watched as his brother left the throne room, an incredibly sad look on his face. Zeus sighed tiredly, it had been a stressful day for all of them and according to Perseus, things will only get harder. He dismissed the council and flashed away on a bolt of lightning.

"Perce!" A voice called from behind Percy, making him turn around and smile at the approaching Hermes. "Man, I am so glad that you're back now. I tried to stop the others, they just wouldn't listen. Hestia, Hades and I told the-"

Percy interrupted his nervous rambling. "Don't worry about it Hermes, I know you did. What's up?" He smoothly changed the subject, not wanting to ruin his temporary good mood with bad memories.

"Ah yeah. Well, look, I know you've got these super powerful new powers from the Primordials, but I was just wondering if you'd like to become my champion? My name carries a bit of weight in certain circles which no doubt could come in handy if you find yourself in the mortal world, you'd also receive my blessing. It isn't much, my domains are very wide but aren't exactly power-based. I'd understand it if you didn't want to, you're actually probably busy with Primordial work, no time for a lowly Olympian like me, it was probably stupid for me to even ask you-"

"Hermes, you're rambling again." Percy laughed. Hermes blushed golden before scowling half-heartedly at the demigod.

"So? Are you interested?" He asked hopefully.

"I'd be honoured Hermes." Percy grinned at him, touched at the offer.

Hermes broke into an identical grin before stretching out his hand, a yellow glow surrounding it.

"As my champion, I bless you with improved agility, speed, endurance and thieving capabilities. You can now improvise much better for those situations a silver tongue is needed. Finally, I give you a gift." A shoe box appeared in his hand. Inside were traditional Greek boots, made out of tough, brown leather with Celestial bronze buckles. On the heels were tiny symbols of wings pressed into the leather. They were around knee height and looked elegantly crafted. **(A.N: If you want an image, google 'Men's brown destroyer boots', first image.)**

"The boots of Hermes!" The god stated proudly. "Strap on these bad boys and just think about activating them, and-" The wings glowed a faint blue. "-they're active! When they're in use, you'll be capable of moving at extreme speeds for a period of time."

"Wow, Hermes, I really don't know what to say." Percy said sincerely.

"Don't say anything, go ahead, try them on!" He said excitedly.

The boots were a little awkward to put on, Percy had to roll up the legs of his jeans so he could strap the boots up his calves. Hermes, Thalia and Artemis all winced slightly at the exposed scars on his legs, slightly surprised to find that his lower half was almost as bad as his top.

Once Percy had the Boots of Hermes in place, he stood up and found they fitted him perfectly, in fact they were the comfiest, in not the weirdest, footwear he'd ever owned. Percy tried thinking about them activating and suddenly, strength rushed through his legs as his muscled tensed almost uncomfortably. He thought about them switching off and his legs relaxed.

Thalia's laughter broke his experimenting and he looked over at her confused, Hermes doing the same. "No offence, Lord Hermes, but don't you think you could have updated them a little bit? Seeing Percy standing there with his jeans rolled up, glowing leather boots and that stupid look on his face is just too much!" Thalia said breathlessly.

"Hey! What look?" Thalia ignored him and continued laughing.

Surprisingly, Hermes looked triumphant. "Perce, do me a favour and think about any pair of shoes in the world and concentrate on the Boots."

Thinking for a second, Percy finally decided before concentrating on the Boots. Suddenly, the Boots of Hermes morphed into dark purple Adidas Gazelles **(A.N: I actually own these and I fucking love them.)** with the same wing symbols on the heel.

Immediately, Thalia stopped laughing and looked at the now disguised Boots of Hermes. "Where can I get some shoes that do that." She demanded. This only succeeded in making both Percy and Hermes laugh tauntingly while Artemis rolled her eyes, a small smile on her lips at her Lieutenant's envious tone.

"Anyway Perce, I need to be going. Godly duties and everything. If you ever need anything, don't forget to pray to your patron." Hermes said with a wink before seemingly folding in on himself before he finally disappeared.

Percy turned to the two girls, a huge smile on his face. Not even seeing Artemis could run his good mood.

"Lets get going. Artemis, you're dropping me off at my parent's apartment. I don't have the energy to get there myself." He told her bluntly, laughing internally at her gobsmacked expression. She grumbled something about jackalopes but didn't argue.

"I haven't seen that side of Hermes since..." Artemis trailed off.

"Since you sent me to hell?" Percy offered casually before turning away, not giving her chance to reply. He slung his arm over Thalia's shoulder, causing her to scowl but she didn't remove it.

"So Thals, tell me. Is there any boys that I should know about?" Percy asked with a smirk.

"WHAT!?" Artemis screeched, the demigods bursting into laughter.

* * *

 **And finished! Hope you've all enjoyed!**

 **The gods find out about Perseus, Percy looks out for the campers and suffers from a new aspect of his flashbacks, the first severe one since Ananke's blessing. Also, Hermes! Love Hermes, what a guy. By the way, feel free to suggest some shoes to me, brand name and shoe name and I'll be sure to change the Boots of Hermes regularly.**

* * *

 **Review time!**

 **redlox2: He most certainly did, to me, Percy's sword fighting skills is less to do with being a demigod and more to do with Percy, he's naturally skilled and he's had years of practice.**

 **TheYoLOMan: Cheers bud! Glad to hear I'm your one and only, got rid of all them side hoes. Also, Hellfire OP. And that twist seems like it's been accepted pretty well, I was surprised I thought some people would be annoyed that, technically, no monsters are there looking for Percy anymore, although the monsters certainly get more than they bargained for when they do show up. Hope I've represented to gods well in this chapter, it was probably the hardest I've had to write so far. Lots of people, lots of personalities to keep track of.**

 **Probably be the last time for a while that Percy interacts with the council as a whole, he'll most likely run into quite a few gods in his travels. Also, let me know what you think of the Boots! Thanks for your constant supporting of my story, honestly you're a legend.**

 **Neonlyphe: Percy almost tasted that bolt a few times in this chapter. I imagine it'd be like licking a cross between a battery and a nuclear warhead. Quite tangy.**

 **Death Fury: Cheers friend! It's definitely gonna be a while for the Pertemis to kick into gear, Percy certainly isn't anyone's bitch. If Artemis wants a piece of that ass, she's gonna have to work for it! At the moment, I'm just trying not to rush Percy's power training too much.**

 **Tobias97: Glad you liked it friend, thanks for continually reviewing, means a lot.**

 **ChocoChomper: Thanks! I tried to make it look like I was going for the 'oh no my family is dead wraaaaagh' cliché but then pulled a fast one and threw Peter under the bus. Sorry Peter. You will be remembered.**

 **Guest: Here is the next update, hope you enjoy!**

 **Guest: Protective Hermes just evolved into Patron Hermes. Glad you enjoy** **ed seeing the Primordials again, I honestly never planned on bringing them back like that but I may do it more often, who knows.**

 **kill yourself: Erm...thanks? I'm honestly not sure, you genuinely got me bamboozled. Glad you enjoyed the chapter, I'll see about killing myself later.**

 **AdmetoUltor14: I really am trying to go unique with this, which is very hard to do when there is just sooo many stories on FanFiction, chances are you're going to do something that someone else has already done. I try though.** **Oops, sorry about taking Peter away like that. RIP and all that jazz.**

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 **See you all next chapter! Peace out homies.**


	6. Author

Hi guys,

Sorry for making you think that I've finally updated, I know its been a few days without one and I'm just wanting to explain. I'm back at college now, holidays are over and its back to doing work and boring shit like that. Also, my cousin has just been given the all clear for his leukemia, so I'm having a little time with him to celebrate. Lots of other shit going on, like some girlfriend issues and other family matters, it's a lot for me to deal with but I'm doing my best to write the next chapter. I'm currently in the process, around 3000 words in but it's just taking a little longer than usual because I've got to squeeze it in around my college work.

Sorry for the lack of updates, I'll do my best to get the next chapter out soon. Hope you guys can understand.

Love you all, peace out.


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, I'm back.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **Third person's POV**

It was currently 3am in the morning and Paul and Sally were sat in their dark living room, the only light was from a small lamp on the table next to their couch, trying it's best to illuminate the room and chase away the two mortals' worry. They were both still very shaken up from the day's events and worry gnawed on their minds when they thought of their son. Neither of them spoke, just sat quietly, Paul's single arm wrapped protectively around his wife's frame.

A bright, silver light glowed within the living room, surprising the two parents out of their stupor. When the light faded, it revealed a crumpled Percy Jackson, his back on the floor with his legs almost over his head.

"Gods damn that woman." He muttered as he extracted himself from his uncomfortable position. "That is so not what I meant when I said drop me off..."

Faster than a pegasus promised donuts, his parents were on him and wrapping him in tight embraces. "Oh thank gods, Percy you're alright." His mother sobbed into his shirt. "Are you okay? They didn't hurt you did they? I swear, I'll make them eat their thrones if they even thought about-"

"Mum, I'm fine. I promise. They know everything now."

"But Percy, they can't just expect that you'll come running back to Olympus, ready to do their bidding." His mother tried to reason.

"I already told them that. They know to stay away from me." Percy growled before suddenly perking up. "But mum, you'll never guess what happened! Hermes made me his champion!" He said, pride infecting his words.

"What does that mean?" Paul asked confusedly. He may be learning but he's still a long way from understanding everything in the godly world.

"I'm kind of like Hermes' representative now. He blessed me and gave me these really cool shoes!" Percy said excitedly, lifting up his feet so his parents could see his new footwear.

He quickly explained everything that had happened in the throne room. Sally and Paul looked shocked and then sympathetic when they found out about Percy's aura which endangers demigods.

Percy may still be angry with the gods but that doesn't mean he hates all of them. The ones who didn't turn their backs on him, namely Hestia, Hades, Hermes and Apollo, still demanded loyalty from Percy, his fatal flaw not allowing him to abandon them.

Also, he had never had a Patron god before, he wasn't sure what that made him in comparison to the Hermes kids in Cabin 11. Was he now like a pseudo son of Hermes? Not his son but all the gifts that his children have. Were Percy's skills and abilities weaker than the children of Hermes, due to not sharing the god's 'DNA'? He knew that technically, gods didn't have DNA but they must have something, otherwise the demigods wouldn't look similar to their parents. Or, were his abilities stronger, since they were gifted to him directly from the god? Percy had no clue, either way he didn't mind.

He was just happy he still had one friend.

Sally and Paul were just happy to see Percy smile again. For the past week, Percy had barely smiled, only when he was playing with Andy. They had noticed the looks on his face when he thought they weren't looking, seeing the utter and complete depression that haunted him every day. At night, they pretended they didn't hear him calling out, crying in his sleep as nightmares terrorised his mind.

Percy saw Sally stifle a small yawn. "Mum, it's very late. We should be going to bed."

"I don't know if I can even sleep after today..." She muttered.

Percy's smile faded and he looked down in self-loathing. No doubt his dreams tonight will be haunted by the son of Iris, plaguing him with images of his burnt body. Percy knew now that he was the cause for the Chimera's appearance and the subsequent death of Peter. All he could do now was work harder to make sure that it didn't happen again.

"...Look, I know I'm not being hunted by the gods anymore but I'm going to leave in the morning." Percy said cautiously.

"W-what? Why?" Sally exclaimed incredulously.

"I've been gone for too long. Other demigods are out there, completely unaware of what's to come. I've got to help in anyway I can, help any demigod I find. Also, I think it'd be a little ironic if the champion of the god of travellers just sat around and did nothing." He joked a little. "It's just...if Peter was still in camp, he'd still be alive now. There must be other demigods out there who are just like Peter, either not knowing they're special or feeling like they don't belong in Camp. Now that the gods are going to support their children more, they might feel differently about not going to camp."

"But what will you do when you find the other demigods?" Paul puzzled. "You'll just cause them to attract more monsters."

"I'll go with them. I'll travel with them all the way to Camp until they're safe. If they're not interested in returning to camp, I'll leave as soon as possible so that I don't have time to boost their scent. It seems like it takes around an hour for me to fully affect them. I know it's risky, and dangerous, and probably stupid, but I just can't sit around here and do nothing. Not anymore. I need to do this...for Peter."

After a little more arguing, Sally and Paul both nodded reluctantly, accepting their son's decision. With a few more heartfelt hugs and kisses, the trio retired to their rooms for the night, all of them feeling slightly scared to go to sleep.

 **-(LINE BREAK)-**

Thalia and Artemis flashed into the middle of the hunters' camp, the latter chuckling softly to herself. 'That'll teach the boy to think he can order me around.' Artemis thought victoriously, imagining the boy's face when he arrived back in his mother's apartment.

"What are you laughing about?" Thalia asked curiously before yawning widely.

"Oh, nothing. Just glad to be finally rid of that boy." Artemis covered smoothly.

"Uh huh...We did just spend over a week hunting for him, just to then go ahead and let him go anyway. Didn't think you'd be that happy with the conclusion."

"That male irritates me." Artemis growled.

"What male doesn't irritate you? You're just upset that you didn't get to turn him into a fuzzy animal." Thalia smirked. "Don't think Hermes would appreciate you turning his new champion into a woodland creature, you already seem to be on his shit list."

Artemis scowled before a small, conspiratorial smile spread across her lips. "You know, if Perseus was a chipmunk or a jackalope, I'm sure he'll have no need for those new shoes he has." She was pleased to see Thalia's eyes widen and hesitate slightly, only to then scowl.

"As tempting as that is, don't you go transfiguring my cousin." Thalia scolded.

Artemis gave her Lieutenant a look out of the corner of her eye. "You care an awful lot for this male. He even had the nerve to flirt with you in my presence." Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure whether I support your relationship with the boy." She was only half joking.

Thalia, on the other hand, looked very annoyed. "He only flirted with me because he knew it'd piss you off. Second, gross. He's my annoying little cousin. My extremely handsome, muscular cousin. Who is technically now older than me, and bigger than me. I could still take him though." Thalia's ADHD was kicking in badly before she realised what she had said.

Artemis just shook her head, despite everything she was mildly amused by the demigoddess' ramblings. "I think it is time for us to return to our tents now my Lieutenant."

Thalia nodded before yawning again. "Gods, yes. I'm exhausted. I'll see you in the morning, my lady." Her respectful tone surprised the goddess, it had been a while since Thalia had spoken to her like that.

"Good night, my sister." She whispered as she watched the retreating figure of the daughter of Zeus.

Artemis looked to the night sky, moonlight bathing her skin in a soft, silvery glow. Her eyes lingered on the constellation of the Huntress before turning and marching towards her tent.

 **-(LINE BREAK)-**

The trees zoomed passed, the wind whipping his face as he ran at speeds faster than any mortal should be capable of. The passing scenery was nothing more than a blur, only due to his enhanced werewolf senses was he able to react in time for the obstacles in his path.

To Percy, the feeling was like electricity. He could feel the power flowing upwards through his body from the shoes on his feet, like lightning coursing through his veins. It was so addictive, he never wanted to stop running. Unfortunately, he could feel the power slipping away from him as he continued to run, his speed dropping until he was back to his usual speed of 70mph.

Percy pushed himself to run for longer before coming to a halt, his breath laboured and muscles aching. He was slightly shocked to notice that there were small sparks of golden lightning dancing on his skin, admittedly much less frequently than when he had been at his top speed.

He was currently deep in a forest just on the edge of Ohio, called Wayne National forest. Hermes had spoken to him on his mind, directing him towards the area, claiming that there was someone there who wished to speak to his young champion. Percy wasn't exactly sure what to think of it but agreed to go nevertheless. As soon as he had stepped out of his Void tear, he immediately felt his mind tug in a direction, pointing him towards his goal. No doubt Hermes nudging him in the right destination.

Opening the Void portal had taken much less energy this time, his concentration had been much better and he had opened it easier. Determined to master his ability, Percy concentrated on pulling in and manipulating the Void around him while he walked, the cool, morning air was fresh and helped clear his mind. Reality bent and distorted around him, creating shapes that quickly dissolved and reformed again as something else. It was tiring, but Percy knew he needed all the practice he could get if he was going to one day fight against Primordials.

After around an hour of walking, Percy emerged into a small clearing in the forest, sweat pouring down his face after controlling the Void for so long. The compass of his mind that had been insistently pointing him in the right direction suddenly went haywire. He had arrived.

In the centre of the clearing, a lone tree stump sat, the morning light reflecting magnificently off of an object resting atop the wood. Curious yet wary, Percy crouched low and approached slowly, his hands hanging loosely by his side with his hands splayed, ready to summon his powers at a moments notice. Something about the whole place felt wrong. Some part of Percy's mind told him that everything around him was twisted, distorted in some way, invisible to his eye but not to his senses. Casting out his mind around himself, his consciousness spread out like a bubble, detecting everything around him. No thoughts sprung out at him, only a feeling of quiet power bubbling up from the object on the tree.

As he got closer, he saw that the object was actually an orb made of a sparkling mixture of gold and bronze gears and cogs yet perfectly spherical. Marked on the Steampunk sphere were strange shapes and symbols, runes covering the entire surface. The closer Percy stepped towards it, the more his guard lowered and suddenly he dashed forward, desperately reaching for the treasure. He didn't know what came over him, he just knew that he had to have it. It had to belong to _him._

The minute his hand brushed the surface of the cool metal, a shockwave blasted outwards, knocking the demigod off of his feet as he flew backwards. Quickly shrugging off his shock, Percy shot to his feet and gasped loudly at what he saw.

The clearing was filled with a ghostly white mist, billowing out of the orb that sat harmlessly on the log. The sun was no longer visible, the sky darkened the a sickly shade of grey and the air was colder than before.

Standing in between himself and the mysterious object, stood a tall, muscled teenager with raven black hair that had streaks of startling white running throughout. A faint scar marred his face, stretching across his left eye. His eyes were pure black with veins of multiple different colours shifting through the darkness of his irides. He wore a pitch black t shirt with matching jeans. A maniacal grin was stretched over his lips, revealing brilliantly white teeth, his fangs slightly larger than normal, looking wickedly sharp.

It was Percy.

The normal Percy stared in shock, before slowly raising his left hand and waving. The other Percy raised his right and waved right back, the smile never faltering. Still cautious, Percy clapped his hands together and the clone mirrored his actions at the exact same time. Now, Percy was incredibly unnerved and took a step backwards shaking his head, only getting more freaked out when the imposter reflected the actions. The smile on it's face seemed to grow even larger and more wicked before suddenly the fake Percy dashed forward at incredible speed, it's fist connecting with the side of real Percy's face.

His head snapped back at the blow before recovering, trying to block the hail of blows his clone was raining down on him. All of the strikes were quick and precise, each one carrying the strength of the original. Percy growled when another fist smashed into his jaw, his eyes faintly glowing in anger. His hand flashed upwards and grabbed the imposter's fist, swinging it away and launching his own punch.

The clone moved his head to the side slightly, avoiding the attack before retaliating by stepping into Percy's guard and swinging a vicious elbow into his ribs. Percy grunted but shook it off quickly, blocking a jab aimed at his head and twisted the arm behind the clone's back. The clone reacted faster than expected, countering the hold and reversing their positions. Percy suddenly flipped, his foot connecting with the imposter's jaw. It stumbled away, black blood pouring from it's mouth but still continued to smile that sickening smile.

Growing more and more frustrated at the fight, Percy focused on the earth before holding out his hands. Two long, black objects shot out of the ground and into his palms. He held two simple Stygian Iron rods in his hands, dual 20" black batons. Percy grinned at his success which quickly morphed into a scowl when he noticed that his dark twin held the same weapons.

Percy decided to re-engage, sprinting forward while swinging his left baton low, aiming for his opponent's ribs. Unsurprisingly, the clone blocked the attack and responded with his own. Their metal batons clashed together, the clearing was ringing with the sound of metal striking metal, neither of them able to land blows.

Percy was getting more enraged at the battle, his aura bursting outwards and cracking the ground around him but his opponent seemed completely unaffected. Their batons crossed, they both struggled against the other, trying their best to gain the upper hand.

"What the Hades are you!?" Percy growled dangerously, his teeth bared as he pressed even harder against the weapons. The clone simply smiled his maniacal smile, his eyes burning darkly with insanity. Suddenly, the clone unlocked their weapons and swung wildly, one baton crashing into Percy's ribcage and the next one followed shortly behind.

"Ooomph" Percy wheezed, quickly stepping back while trying to catch his breath, wincing at the feel of his broken ribs. The clone just stood, his batons hanging loosely by his sides. It's wicked smile stretched across it's teeth, stained with blood. It didn't even seem tired while Percy was starting to feel tired, swearing at himself for using so much energy while practising his powers.

Speaking of which, he was tempted to try using his abilities but rejected the idea. It seemed that the entity only did what Percy did, he didn't want to risk giving the clone access to his powers. He knew he would have to win this fight using his skill, wit and good looks. Unfortunately, his opponent had these too.

"I really don't know what the hell you are." Percy said, trying to buy time while his held his shining palm against his injured ribs, healing them. "You certainly seem like me, how that's possible I don't know. You're not me though. I'm me. We can't both be me. I don't know if the world can handle two of us, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you go."

He leaped forward, swinging viciously at the clone's head and was surprised yet pleased when one of them actually cracked against the copy's skull. The entity stumbled slightly but that was enough for Percy; pressing the attack, he was determined not to give it time to recover. He swung his Stygian batons with incredible speed and precision, the clone was struggling to block and dodge all of them. Percy landed several hard hits, each one weakening his enemy. He knew that the fight was almost over.

Amazingly, the clone recovered instantly and ducked low, it's foot sneaking out and sweeping Percy off his feet. He crashed to the floor but quickly rolled away, barely avoiding the twin batons that split the ground where he was a split-second ago. Springing to his feet, it was now Percy who was on the defence again, desperately blocking the lightning fast strikes of the batons.

'It's using my own moves.' Percy thought to himself, ducking to avoid the strikes aimed at his head. 'I just have to do something I wouldn't normally do.'

Determined, Percy bided his time for a little while longer, soaking up the blows as much as he could before launching his counter. He dropped the batons to the ground and sent his right fist crashing into the imposter's face. Not wasting a moment, he used the momentum of the swing and followed it through, spinning and his left elbow swung into his opponent's temple.

While it was disorientated, Percy crouched and swept up his batons before swinging them at full force upwards into the fake Percy's head. The entity burst into white mist as Percy stood, panting.

"Got ya, you handsome bastard." He breathed hard. The surrounding mist was swept back, being sucked back into the mysterious orb. The sun reappeared and Percy was instantly aware of the sound of clapping filling the air. Turning tiredly, he was a purple-haired woman, with startling white skin and dark eyes. She wore a form-fitting dressed that showed off her perfect curves, clinging to her tightly.

"Good show, Perseus." The woman purred as she strutted closer. "I must say, I am impressed. I see Hermes wasn't wrong in choosing his champion."

"Listen lady, I've had a pretty fucking weird day so far, you mind telling me what you want?" Percy growled lightly, the cold metal of his batons still in his hands.

"Of course Perseus." She laughed. "My name is Eris and I want to offer you something."

Percy was, needless to say, shocked that the goddess of chaos and strife had wanted to meet. "What could you possibly want to offer me?"

"I've already spoken to Hermes about this and he has approved, I would like to become your patron, just as Hermes is."

"Well...I dunno. I think I'll already be kinda busy with the stuff Hermes tells me to do. Not that I don't appreciate the offer!" Percy quickly stated.

Eris just smiled and Percy noticed that she had a similar smile to the fake Percy he had only just fought. A horrifying glee that sent tingles up his spine. "Don't worry about that, I would not ask anything of you. I would simply like you to represent myself as you already seem to spread a fair bit of chaos wherever you go, might as well make you my official champion of discord. So will you accept?" She asked expectantly, her eyes friendly yet still burning with madness.

Thinking for a minute, Percy finally decided. "In that case, I will accept." He closed his eyes, waiting for the blast of power that would signify a god's blessing. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes and yelped. Eris was stood so close to him, their noses were practically touching. Eris howled with laughter before cutting off abruptly, sending a blast of power at the shocked demigod.

"What the hell was that!? You almost gave me a heart attack!" Percy yelled when the light faded.

"I'll tell you what that was. Hilarious." Eris chuckled. "Anyway, with my blessing, you now have the ability to cloak yourself and render yourself and those around you practically invisible. When active, people's eyes will simply skip over where you are, as if you were never there. This way, it'll be much easier to cause chaos!" the goddess cackled. "Finally, I also give you a gift." The golden and bronze sphere appeared in Eris' hand.

"This, is the Apple of Discord. It will enchant any who lay there eyes upon it and they will be unable to look away. Also, it has the powers to create illusions by twisting the two hemispheres. This is a very powerful object, it once started the Trojan War by turning the gods among themselves. None are immune to the Apple's effects and it will now only obey you. Simply focus on the Apple and it will appear in your hand, no matter where it currently is."

Percy was in awe of the power the small sphere held. The metal of the Apple felt cold, yet occasionally pulsed with warmth. The Apple was the size of a large apple, around 4" in diameter and had a bit of weight to it. Percy got an idea and focused on the Apple, imagining it shrinking down to a smaller size. Immediately, it glowed softly and the Apple shrank down to the size of a marble. He placed the golden-bronze marble in his pocket.

"Wow, thank you so much Eris." Percy mumbled, shocked at the small mental nuke he had hidden away in his pocket. "I-I don't know what to say."

"Better than Hermes' gift, right?" Eris asked smugly.

"Erm..."

"Oh, come on! I just gave you an ancient artefact that is strong enough to bring gods to their knees! Hermes gave you his old shoes!"

"I know, I know...they're really cool shoes though." Percy admired his feet lovingly.

"Ugh, whatever. I know that I said I wouldn't be setting you tasks but I do have a favour to ask of you." Eris said, suddenly shy. 'It's shocking how quickly her mood changes.' Percy thought to himself. 'I guess she is the goddess of chaos, it kind of makes sense.'

"What do you want me to do?" Percy stopped his internal pondering and asked.

"I have two demigod children that need your help. They're the first of their kind, I've never had twins before and its causing some issues." Eris admitted.

Percy frowned. "Why would being twins cause issues?"

"Well, my children have always been a large influence on events and crises. They practically cause chaos wherever they go, they can't help it. Its my aura that causes the situations around them to turn sour. However, the twins are causing far too much chaos. Their aura's are awakening and interacting with each other, boosting each other's exponentially to a dangerous level. It breaks my heart, but they're going to cause some serious damage if they're not separated. They're both already extremely powerful, but together they're extremely dangerous. Last week, a teacher chastised them and the school ended up blowing up."

"Done that..." Percy muttered.

"13 people died." Eris said sorrowfully.

"Ah...that's not good. I see what you mean about having to split them apart. But where will I take them? They can't go to Camp Half-Blood if they need separating."

"My son can go to camp, my daughter can go to the Hunters of Artemis. She already doesn't trust men after the things their foster-father has done." She growled murderously, her immortal form shining through momentarily before she regained control.

Immediately, Percy grew cold and felt an unsettling stillness wash over him. "Where are they?"

"Minnesota. In the outskirts of Minneapolis. Please Perseus, hurry. I don't want my children to spend another minute with that horrible family."

Perseus nodded curtly before spinning and held out his hand firmly, completely focused on saving the twins. Almost instantly, a portal opened through the Void but Percy didn't hesitate to congratulate himself. Instead, he marched into the portal, his cold, murderous rage burning inside of him.

* * *

 **Hi everyone. Sorry for my little leave of absence, I've not exactly been in the best mindset for a while and I didn't want that the reflect in my writing. Also been busy with college stuff, exams are dangerously close now but I'm just kinda thinking fuck it at this point.**

 **Bit of a shorter chapter this one, I just wanted to write while I felt up to it but didn't want to push it too far. Hope you all enjoyed it. Next update won't be long hopefully.**

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 **Reviews**

 **Neonlyphe: Who doesn't love a bit of sassy Percy. I wish I had a pair of Hermes boots, made myself jealous while writing it.**

 **Lucian Naruto: Maybe, maybe not. Closure for Percy won't be for a while.**

 **williamjamesephillips: Bit of a curve ball with Patron Hermes right?**

 **Death Fury: I want to stay away from the clichés as much as possible, also honestly at this point what would either of those blessings give that he doesn't already have? Maybe summoning undead. Woooow.**

 **Also, thanks for understanding and being patient.**

 **TheYoLOMan: First off, I just wanna apologise to you man. You've been nothing but faithful to me and I can't help feel like I've let you down. Just, thanks for your constant support and love and praise and just being great.**

 **The demigod hotspot is permanent, I feel like he's so powerful already he's going to need that constant threat, even if it's not exactly to himself. Anyway, love you man.**

 **Tobias97: Glad you enjoyed buddy, also sorry for it being a bit longer than a few days wait.**

 **Guest: My Percy ain't no bitch, that's what I'll just say. He's not going to be ordered anymore, he's a nice guy though and he may help out certain people if they ask him nicely. At the moment, Artemis is not one of those certain people.**

 **Perseus Jackson Rules: He may end up forgiving some people, I may end up turning Poseidon into some jackass or I might have Percy forgive him.**

 **FrazelZhang: Thanks for the praise, sorry update is so late.**

 **Guest: You're looking good! Hope you enjoyed him meeting the gods.**

 **Gotten: I'm so rekt, my poor anus.**

 **A loyal reader: I am going to finish this story if it kills me, I am still enjoying writing this it's just trying to find the time between my college work and being a depressed waste of space. I'll get there though. I'm going to be updating more often again now, I'm driven to do it. Fuck exams. Love you too *blushes***

 **Guest: Nice. I love you reading it.**

 **Guest: Hopefully this chapter is up to standard, if a little shorter.**

 **Guest: Wow, comparing me to the king himself, I'm very flattered. Thanks a bunch, it means a lot.**

 **AdmetoUltor14: It was a little longer than a week and I'm still not there yet but I'm gonna just tank it. Just got to make sure all sharp objects are out of the way first. I'm gonna do this.**

 **richard333: Thanks glad you enjoy it.**

 **inferno1897: Thanks friend, everything is kinda feeling like its falling apart but I always got you guys.**

 **gandalf da black: Thanks gandalf.**

 **StickyFingaz: Wowow better than the originals? Thanks for thinking so highly of me, sorry if I let you down a bit here. Hope you stick around for the rest of the story.**

 **Chews: Here's the late chapter, thanks for such high praise it means a lot to me.**

 **Guest: Hope you're still alive.**

 **Coarvus: Girl trouble sorted, she's amazing I'm just a bit fucked up atm. We good though. Lets be honest, mad mode Artemis always sounds hot as hell. Bit weird I know, but what can you do?**

 **ThatLoyalReader: Good luck with your story series! Thanks for the stoking of my ego, feels good. Hopefully you're sticking around for the rest of the story.**

 **jnet666: Might be a while until I finish it, I plan on this baby going a long way. Not going to rush it but I aim to upload more regularly.**

 **Guest: I'm uploading again but I won't be finishing just yet. Might be a while.**

 **PrinceOfDorkness: Thanks friend, can't believe you've read it multiple times that's very nice to hear. Here's your late chapter!**

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 **Next upload shouldn't be too long friends, I plan to finish it by the end of the week. Thanks everyone!**


	8. Informing the masses

Hello everyone.

It's been a very long time and I come baring some news I know many of you may not want to hear. A lot has happened to contribute to my absence from Fanfiction.

Unfortunately, my cousin who had previously been cleared of Leukaemia took a turn for the worse and passed away in November at the age of 18. We grew up on the same street and with only 10 weeks between us, he was like a brother to me and this half year or so has been me trying to get back to where I was before, as a person and as a writer. However, I'm starting to realise that I will never be who I was again. But thats okay.

I'm now currently in University and hating it, wasting a lot of free time doing very little. With this in mind, I've come to the conclusion that I should start writing again.

I'm no longer the same person I was before and I refuse to let the stress of life drag me down any longer. I want to write. However, I feel that since there has been such a long hiatus on this story, I've decided to abandon it and start afresh. I've had plenty of time to think of which parts I liked, which parts I wasn't too keen on and which parts I immediately regretted writing.

With this in mind, I plan to start writing a new story which will undoubtedly implement some of the ideas of this story, namely the scent enhancements, blessed items and the slow build up and development of Percy's abilities.

Honestly, I don't know how well this will go. I was a new writer when I started this anyway and was immediately passionate about it, which soon fizzled out when life decided a few swift kicks in the nuts was necessary.

Anyway, look out for a new story within the next two weeks or so, I am going to be taking my time to get the beginning exactly how I want it and get everything set up. Thank you all for continuing to be looking out for me, thank you to the people who read my story and enjoyed it and everyone who continued to favourite and follow me even after seeing my complete absence for months, seeing all the emails saying more and more people following me has been a driving factor in my rebirth here on FF.

We'll see how this goes.

-TwistedTrickster


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